Cruise Ship Reviews : Holland America Line Reviews

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goldenstar saw things this way:


NCL gives much better value for the money in my opinion, May 26, 2013
Reviewer: goldenstar

Pros: The crew members are amazing, very friendly and helpful

Cons: The food was poor and very boring. The quantities limited, unimpressed

Date of cruise: May 12, 2013

Departure port: Vancouver

Region visited: Alaska

Cabin category: Outside

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

Despite the great efforts of the crew I will choose another cruise ship in the future. The ship is dated but very well maintained.

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cruzer429 saw things this way:


Small ship, didn't use spa. Played good movies. Had crafts, culinary options., March 8, 2013
Reviewer: cruzer429

Pros: smaller ship, fewer cruisers

Cons: Older people tend to get to everything early, fewer seat options

Departure port: San Diego

Region visited: Hawaii

Cabin category: Inside

Good for children: No

What I was most upset about had nothing to do with the ship itself. Because I went on a month-long cruise, they made the entertainment geared towards older generations (I am young and didn't know the music). They don't have a full set of dancers so the shows are not the usual cruise shows. Comedian was funny. Magician was same boring stuff as always. HAL does have a culinary option where you can watch and learn how to make dishes. There was stuff to do at all times. Two pools: One heated and covered (in case it rains) with regular water. The other outside, not heated and ocean water. Plenty of lounge chairs to get some sun. Casino was a little small for a month. There were a lot of one particular slot machine. If you like poker, they don't have that table going all the time. My husband was disappointed.

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lbrichman saw things this way:


Very nice mid-size to small ship., August 18, 2010
Reviewer: lbrichman

Pros: Very clean, looked like new. The staff was very helpful.

Cons: We took an Alaska cruise. Sometimes the room was too warm.

Date of cruise: July 4, 2010

Departure port: Seward Alaska

Region visited: Alaska

Cabin category: Outside

It was one of the nicer ships we have sailed. Everything looked new. It is a small ship, but that can be a good thing. The rooms are a nice size. HAL is one of the few lines with bath tubs. Even if you just use the shower it gives you a little more room. HAL still gives out little prizes for many of the activities you win or sometimes just enter. The dining room food like most lines was good but nothing special. The Italian place we found on the last night was very good with no extra charge.

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tamidon saw things this way:


Statendam needs repairs but the staff is great!, July 9, 2010
Reviewer: tamidon

Pros: HAL employees are excellent

Cons: Ship is in need of a full overhaul and it just came out of drydock!

Date of cruise: June 27, 2010

Departure port: Vancouver

Region visited: Alaska

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 504

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

Just returned from a 7-day Alaska cruise on the Statendam which began in Vancouver and ended in Seward, Alaska. To gain a perspective on my past experience, this was my ninth cruise, first on HAL and first to anywhere other than the Caribbean. Traveled with husband and our two teenagers. Cabin: We booked the very least expensive inside quad cabin available due to the super low price. We have not shared a cabin w/the kids in years but were trying to keep the budget in line. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of storage! We each had our own closet and at least one drawer to ourselves. Plenty of storage in bathroom for toiletries. Bed configuration was one king (very comfortable mattress and bedding); one upper twin and single bed that served as a sofa during the day. There was a divider curtain between the "closet area" andonethe bed area so theoretically, 1 person could be in bathroom, one could be dressing in private and the others could still be in the bedroom section. We rarely got ready at the same time, but it was a well-thought out feature and coincided with the overall well thought-out cabin design. All soft goods were brand new as the ship just got out of drydock a couple months ago. Dining: We had "late" seating table for four. We ate every dinner in the Main Dining Room upper level. We had excellent staff tending to us. I have to say that the decor of the dining room was "dated" and looked rather 80's in style. We chose not to do the up-sell dining options on this cruise and, honestly, the decor of The Pinnacle Grill was not impressive and it hardly ever looked very busy ($20 surcharge/pp). We mostly had the buffet for breakfast and lunch - it was always good to excellent and the variety of offerings was immense and I really can't think of anything they could do to improve it. Occasionally, there was not enough silverware and you had to run around looking for it, but no big deal. We ate in MDR one morning for breakfast and one lunch; enjoyed the sit-down service, but found the food cold, so we stuck w/the buffet. Entertainment: Went to a couple shows; both shows were very good and professional. Casino was very good to us; staff friendly, there were not a lot of people using the casino. Bars were relatively quiet - there was a nice piano bar but we didn't find much time to enjoy it; the Crows Nest has a great view - the only problem is, this is the designated smoking area and it got really smoky there. It is unfortunate that they use the nicest bar area for the smoking lounge. Not a lot of late night activity; only a handful of people around after 11 p.m. Not much dancing. Activities were "ok" - not as many as we have found on other ships. We did a nice wine tasting for $15/pp. I played Bingo one times and found it to be not as expensive as on other ships (if I remember correctly...). Pool: It was very cold and rainy on this cruise and the roof was closed over the Lido pool most of the week. It was still chilly there and we never swam. My kids used the two hot tubs there a few times; it was somewhat busy but not like on a Caribbean cruise. There was also an outdoor pool that was never used except for a "polar bear plunge" one time. Blankets were offered all over the pool area(s) and outer decks - believe me, you needed them. Spa: We purchased passes to the Thermal Suite in the spa, but did not have any actual treatments. We paid $75/pp for the week. This gave us access to the sauna, steam room, hot tub and thermal loungers. It was a nice treat and welcome after long, cold, rainy days. The steam room did not really work properly and the hot tub jets did not work - it was just a "hot" "tub". Fellow Passengers: Even though we cruised in mid-summer/school vacation time, this ship was full of senior citizens. I would estimate 75 percent were over 75. This seemed to play a role in the fact that the bars and casino were relatively quiet for a sold-out ship; seems like they were not looking to spend any extra money. Public Areas: This is where the real problems are. The ship has just come out of drydock. Carpet is new and cabin furnishings are new but there are lots of outdated furniture and decor around the ship. In the main atrium is this huge non-working fountain. On lots of newer ships, the atrium is the hub of activity, not so on the Statendam ... it was always dead. There were water leaks around the ship - I think in the cabins because I heard folks complaining about buckets in their cabin collecting water! They had those carpet floor dryers all over the hallways. Another huge issue for this ship is the elevator problems. They often did not work; we took the stairs which was fine for us, but with an older crowd, many did not have this option. There was a lot of wear and tear around the windows...you could see rust and peeling paint. There was a laundry room on Deck 5 that was out of order for most of the cruise; the machines were rusty and old. There was a better looking laundry room on Deck 6 but it, too, had a couple machines out of order. There were tons of people lined up and fighting over machines. There were several complaints of sewer smells in parts of the ship and I only noticed it once and luckily not near our cabin. There were also complaints of a/c issues ... like I said, it was a cold and rainy week for us. One night in the Main Dining Room it was absolutely freezing cold with a/c but the rest of the time it seemed fine. Sometimes stuffy - wondered if the heat was on? We felt a lot of motion on this ship - not sure if it was due to the rough weather or the stability of the Statendam, but this was the first time I ever had to take meds to calm my stomach. Bottom Line: It was a good cruise, not great, not horrible. We got a bargain price and feel it was a good value. This is not a top of the line ship. I think HAL is a good company and has well-trained staff doing the best they can with limited resources. You cannot go on this ship and expect state of the art decor and entertainment offerings but I do think the company needs to do a thorough overhaul of the ship to at least take care of the plumbing, a/c, elevator and other maintenance issues.