We took our first ever Holland cruise in September 2022. We fully expected 7 days on a floating nursing home. WELL.... nothing could be further from the truth! Holland literally wowed us at every single turn. we've since done 3 more Holland cruises and another on the way in August 2003. We're no longer interested in water slides and bells and whistles. Gives us quality and great music, food and enrichment programs ! Your video is right on the mark. Holland pinnacle class are our absolute favorite ships!
After many years of cruising Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean my wife and I started looking at HAL for a smaller ship experience and their interesting/longer itineraries. However, we did have some hesitation pulling the trigger with booking with HAL based on some of the typical things your read/hear. In November of 2021 we finally decided to give HAL a try and pulled the trigger on a short 5 day trial cruise on the Rotterdam. Well, fast forward to today and in June we'll be taking our 5th cruise on the Rotterdam - obviously one of our favorite ships and we've come to enjoy the HAL experience. The combination of the crew, service, food, itineraries, ship (size/layout/decoration/cleanliness) and music (especially on the Pinnacle class) is a great match for us and dispelled many of the things we had heard. HAL is clearly now in our cruise rotation along with other lines since each offers a somewhat different but enjoyable experiences.
I"ve been cruising with Holland America since I was in my 40ies. Now in my 70ies. They really are the best deal for the money. High quality. I have no use for floating carnival rides and riff raff people that sail on NCL, Carnival, and Royal Carribean. If you want an affordable, traditional, and quality cruise in a ship that is not stuffed with 6000 people and yahoos, HAL is the best. You are spot on.
We went on our 1st cruise in 2010 for our 25th Anniversary. We were in our 40's, and yes we were some of the younger ones on the ship, but that did not stop us from having a great time. We met so many great people who had been cruising for years, and took us under their wings. We have since cruised NCL and Carnival, and Holland is definitely our favorite. The cabins and beds were so comfortable, food was fantastic, entertainment really good. We cruise more for itinerary than the cruise line, but we definitely love Holland. Great job Alisa.
We're taking our first cruise in July, for our 25th anniversary, and will be on the MS Volendam. It's not Pinnacle class but we couldn't be more excited! It's the perfect size for us to get our sea legs on and it won't stress my fear of crowds.
Some of the itineraries of the smaller ships are even more interesting! The two smaller ships are the only ones that can get all the way to Montreal, for example. Some of the entertainment venues are missing, but the overall atmosphere is (I think) a bit more laid back, which is good thing. Hope you enjoyed your cruise!
I appreciate your comments. I have cruised Holland 4 times and each experience was better than the last. First cruise I listed to people who said buffets are gross. The dining room was good but the next cruises we ate about 80% in the buffet and were totally happy. We were able to try foods from different countries and if we didn’t care for it…oh well , get a different plate. I can hardly await our next cruise. We have a rescue puppy that we need to consider this year. Happy cruising everyone.
It has been a slow progression. Years ago I stopped skiing the double diamond expert slopes and eventually stopped playing the higher-level county intermural league baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. I did not get hurt. I recognized that I my mind knew what to do, but the body was slowing down. To the point: I no longer surf, zip-line, climb rock walls. The novelty wore off a long time ago. Having only a radio and a record player, the first music I heard as a child was classical. I like it. The good life now is spending time at HAL Lincoln Center Stage, then walking along the passageway to BB King. Forward observation at the Crow's Nest/Exploration Center is great because there are no hot tubs (so the place is not packed with drinkers trying to get their money's worth). And yes, I've done an entire HAL cruise eating only at the buffet and MDR. Just got off WotS. Did not zip-line, climb a wall, surf, slide. Stayed up late a couple times, rode the carousel, and never ate at the Windjammer after the first day. I am glad that I did WotS, but I'd rather spend my money with HAL.
Love love love this. Been watching your videos in prep for our first cruise on HAL to Alaska next month. Really enjoying your content, hubby and I are the same age. Can’t wait to experience it.
We have been traveling on HAL since our first cruise in 1994 and are just hitting our 4 star. We are in our 50s, but been sailing with them since our 20s. We’ve been on Princess, Cunard, river cruises, and smaller lines, but keep coming back to HAL. Agree with the “secrets” I enjoy the Vistas, because the room sizes are bigger than the Pinnacle. Agree that they are less kid friendly on the Vistas, but we enjoy Pinnacle as well We love the Retreat as well.
We love Holland America. We’ve cruised other lines and when we return to Holland America we easily see the difference in quality, presentation and service. The other lines should look to Holland America for an example to follow.
We recently took a 21-day HAL cruise on Nieuw Statendam to Iceland and Greenland, et al. It was great! This was one that my husband wanted to do. It was our second 21-day, the first was a repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Amersterdam with many other stops. In January, were sailing from San Diego to Hawaii and back. Two years ago we tried out Royal Caribbean for a six day out of Ft. Lauderdale. NEVER AGAIN! There were thousands of kids.
Great overview, but I was hoping we could keep it a secret! We love HAL especially for the space per person on board and outdoor venues. On a cruise I want to be able to see the sea most of the time.
Wonderful reviews for HAL that I hope help middle-agers and younger folks CONSIDER cruising HAL for some of their cruises! Alysa, you pointed out so many features in such as short time! The aspect of the great itineraries is what brought us to HAL in 2009 and we've been cruising HAL ever since. We also cruise Carnival quite often and will venture out to do NCL Prima in August. For us, variety makes travel fresh and interesting and we hope others who haven't tried HAL yet will do so in the future!
I have to agree with the other person who thought Holland would be a floating nursing home. We we're on the Holland Amsterdam last year to Alaska. There were all ages on board and everyone was having the time of their lives! So much fun we booked the Statendam in December to the Easten Caribbean. Their service on board was amazing!
There are two good hideouts where you can relax in the morning and afternoons - the Tamarind Bar which overlooks the pool and is generally empty in the AM and the Ocean Bar in the early afternoon. If you are on a non-Pinnacle class ship, there is a library that has many interesting books. And unlike most lines, HAL ships have a full Promenade deck that comes in really handy on those Alaskan sailings.
In May, I'll be doing my second Holland America cruise - they've both been theme cruises so not the normal experience, but the ship was amazing and I love the Crow's Nest so much I booked my second cabin on the same deck so I'm only steps away
Excellent video! We moved over to HAL from Carnival and we love everything about HAL! We are right there with you regarding the food in the buffet no need to go to the dining room, plus we prefer to dine and move on, too much to see and do! We LOVE all the live music and the chill in your cabin evenings, those free on demand movies are a blessing! We have our 1st HAL Have It All Pkg cruise booked for January 2024 as we cruise 18 days to Hawaii......so I am binge watching all your Hawaii videos! Love your channel and now I know you are a TA as I need a good one as well.
My wife and I booked our first cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway because of your videos in 2018. We’ve been loving watching them ever since. By far our favorite travel UA-camrs!
You two are the first bloggers I started watching and it good to see the good info you guys are putting out say hi to the kids or should I say grown up you to are the best and great hair cut Elise
HAL is our favorite, we are in our 50s. We love the pinnacle ships. The only criticism we have is the ship coordination with their shore excursion operators. Which was still good just not as smooth as everything else.
We just got off our first cruise with Holland America and we were wonderfully surprised! Weren't sure what to expect when we boarded and disembarked amazed at how much fun we had. We're sailing with them in May - going to Alaska on the Koningsdam. We're putting together our videos on Nieuw Amsterdam and hope to have them posted to our UA-cam channel in the next few weeks.
We have booked a Holland America cruise for October. It will be our first time cruising on them. We usually cruise on Oceania or Viking Ocean, but we liked the eastern Mediterranean itinerary that Holland had. Our ta turned up her nose when I mentioned HAL so I booked with a large booking firm. I’m hearing so many good things about them from you vloggers that I wanted to try them.
It’s all about expectations. There are no water slides, no escape rooms, no dry slides, no merry go rounds. There is good food, good entertainment, two pools, plenty of bars, a good steakhouse and a theater that can be great or not so great. Blues club is excellent. I would not recommend for kids but for adults HAL is a great experience.
We’ve sailed all of these lines as well and this is our opinion: HAL has more people, more entertainment options and varied things to do with less emphasis on lectures etc. Food is possibly a little less grand but very good, service is excellent but not as over the top (unless you’re in the exclusive area, of course). All in all, we like it very much and regularly alternate between lines depending on destination, ship and length of cruise.
My first ocean cruise was 10 nights on Viking to the Panama Canal and I have a cruise booked for next Spring on Oceania to do 14 nights in the Mediterranean. This Fall I will be doing an 11 night HAL on Eurodam to the Caribbean islands. The pricing seems comparable and I am hoping for only a few kids on HAL as both Viking and Oceania are 18 and older. I think it's going to be fun to compare and contrast.
The "Have it All" package is the best deal at sea. I went on Holland in November 22 on a 7 day, paid less than $500 for the cabin per person, the have it all did add $400 but we ate at the Pinnacle Grill, had a shore excursion, and the signature drink package and wifi (although it sucked on New Amsterdam). Went to Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Aruba and Curacao. Great cruise. Blues Club is great, and the band plays other types of music too. The orange night in there was great.
We have cruised on HAL (S class, Signature class and Pinnacle class), Royal Caribbean (Freedom class, Oasis class and Quantum class) and Disney. We enjoyed them all for different reasons. I would describe HAL ships as refined, traditional, sedate, and understated. I feel HAL is best for a port intensive itinerary like Alaska, Med, and Baltic. We just finished a Bahamas cruise on Allure of the Seas and our next cruise will be on the Oosterdam next year.
New subscribers here. We took our first HAL cruise 15 years ago when I was in my 40’s. We’re now 5 star there and have met amazing people of all ages on every trip we’ve taken. We aren’t exclusively HAL guests, but they are certainly one of our favs!
Booked on Volendam November/December 2024 for 42 day cruise. We are 66/75 and looking forward to cruise. Still in great health and in the "GoGo" mode. Should be great adventure. Nice video. Thanks for posting!
T.U for the info, love yr energy - OMG the cookies look delicious 😋 we have just booked our 1st Holland America Cruise to New Zealand & can't wait, it looks Fab 💕
I’m going on the Konigsdam in Sept..you are making me very excited. It will be my first time. I’ve been on Disney, Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian. I think this one is going to be our vibe.
We sailed on the Celebrity Equinox three weeks ago and the food on the Koningsdam last August on our Alaska cruise destroyed the food quality on Celebrity. No comparison. Not too mention HAL is less costly than Celebrity.
HAL is home for us. They were the first cruise line we ever went on and the other lines always get compared to them. Can't wait until next year when we are cruising with them again.
I only sail Holland America love them I am a silver holder I went from a bronze to a silver in one cruise and my next cruise will be to Australia or the grand sail
Holland America has been our first choice for cruising since 1988 and we have logged over 350 days. High quality and fabulous customer service every trip. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Our grand kids also loved it when we took them to Alaska
Planning to get a cruise to Asia with HAL. I’m actually working 10 years for this company and super excited about future vacations. Nothing wrong with old people though:) I’m serving 10 years tourists in Alaska from HollandAmerica and Princess and a lot of them super cool people, nice to meet with and fun to talk, hear many stories and practical advices. I value old people. They are jewelry of our times. And if I will take my mom with me she definitely will find new friends. That is great.:) thank you for reviews and tour on a ship. I loved it:)❤
We are going on our first cruise as a couple in May on HAL. We are in our late 20s and I’m not worried at all about the older crowd. We aren’t big nightlife people and just want to relax and spend time with our families, who will be with us. I’m excited about the food and the music walk. We are going to Alaska and my only worry is that we are so early in the season that it will be too foggy to see anything off the ship.
I started getting casino deals from our Alaska trip. I'm thinking about jumping on another one honestly because I didn't think it was just for older cruisers and I'm 38. I would definitely sail HAL again
This is great to hear. We are leading for our first Holland America cruise this weekend and have terrible experiences with them using the website, app and when calling for assistance. I was saying I might never book with them again based on this experience so far alone. I'm encouraged by your review! Thx.
Website and app do need attention. Can be buggy. Hopefully HAL addresses sooner rather than later. Otherwise we've enjoyed every cruise with them so far.
I would like to thank you ma'am for all the information you have given very interesting on how people can believe on the false statements of people that don't know nothing about cruise ships I am going to be booking a cruise with Holland America soon after my surgery and I will try to get in touch with you to help me out but until then thank you again for all the hard work that you're doing keeping people up-to-date Holland America
Just did our first ocean cruise on the Eurodam going to Alaska. We had a great time. Wasn't a lot of kids, which works for me. Food was good. Tamarind was our favorite. Pinnacle was our least favorite. Overcooked the steaks twice. Buffet was surprisingly good. Main dining room was very good also. We are drinkers so the have it all package with the elite beverage option was great for us. I don't think I want to do a Caribbean cruise. I would do Alaska again in a second and I wouldn't even look at another cruise line. If you go to Alaska, verandah cabin is a must. The views are spectacular. Music acts were very good. The mixologists were awesome. The crew of the ship is great. I have no real complaints.
HAL is usually a good experience. Crowd is a bit older than other lines but there is still plenty of fun to be had. We did have a couple of minor issues on our last cruise with them. Made a review on our channel if anyone is interested.
We enjoy your videos, and yours are the ones that convinced us to try Holland America. So this December we booked a cruise, our first one! Have you ever sailed the New Amsterdam, and do you have a video for that ship? That is the ship we are going on. We have heard the same comments about the demographics, but the trip hit all the right locations for our first trip. Thanks for putting out your vids!
Quick update. Holland America no longer has the Lincoln Center Stage. Not exactly sure why that partnership was dissolved, but it was. I'll admit that I'm not a seasoned cruiser with lots of experience across all the major cruise lines, but I absolutely loved my Holland America Alaska cruise. You're right on point saying that the food was fantastic. We ate mostly at the buffet, but did try the main dining room and the Pinnacle Grill. Lots of variety (unlike what I found on Carnival), and it was all delicious. We'll be doing an HA Alaska cruise tour later this year. From the looks of your videos, this should literally be a trip of a lifetime. Then next year, we'll be sailing Holland America around Hawaii. Again, I don't have a great deal of cruising experience, but I have nothing but great things to say about HA. Highly recommended.
One of the biggest factors i consider when taking a cruise is the thermal suite - i first sailed with NCL and fell in love with the hydrotherapy pool and jacuzzi in there along with the heated loungers. Does HAL have something comparable???
I'm in my 30s, and I only cruise HAL. I like the smaller ships, love the food, and old people know how to party. They should know. They've been at it for a while.
Do you like Holland America better than Princess? We were really impressed with Princess a few weeks ago, and even though Holland America in October was not the "old people's cruise" and we enjoyed the Lincoln Center Stage, we think overall Princess impressed us the most. Thoughts?
We have gone back and forth between HAL and princess but our last cruise on princess was our last. We thought maybe it was due to problems coming back from covid but our HAL cruise just a couple of months later was great and convinced us we had taken our last princess cruise.
Thanks for the review. We are thinking about going on the Rotterdam. Our concern are the activities(or lack of activities). We understand it does not have all the bells and whistles as other resort type ships but have heard that there is not much to do during the day other than sit by the pool and maybe go to some enrichment talks. We would have 4 sea days and am concerned we might be bored. Is there live music during the day, trivia, game show type shows, pickle ball games-during sea days? I have been trying to find a daily schedule for the Rotterdam online but could not find one
We started our cruising on the Koningsdam, 😢 3 cruises totaling 40 nights 🌙 over 13 month's did you see the hook🪝 in my lip? 😅 Yes I have retired and cruising when I can is my life now. 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Well after the grandkids that is.
Went on Holland America to Bermuda. My then travel agent told me that most passengers will be over 80. It wasn't true. Holland America does have very good food. We ate in the buffett most days. When we were on the ship Canaletto's didn't have an extra charge. The Observations Lounge was very nice. Don't use WiFi. I am subscribed. Even hit the like button.
My wife and I and some friends are traveling Holland American June 2024 Alaska 10 day three days in Denali and seven day cruise back to Vancouver it will be Our first cruise so any tips would be appreciated would love to do some helicopter and plane excursions
Hate me. We are 4 star, cruising since 2001, just got off Rotterdam and canceled our December cruise for second cruiseon New statendam. Booked liberty of the seas for second time in November and not looking back. we are mid 70s but HAL is a snooze cruise. Take a book or get the drink package cuz there isn't anything else to do until trivia at 4pm. God bless you for lov❤ing HAL.
What do you want them to be doing? I will admit that it's a downer that they took away cooking demos, which were in the (now) Club Orange dining room. We went to one cooking demo and it was awesome. On our recent cruise we did the 'margarita sampling' class thing, which was fun. But mostly we don't need the staff to do a lot for us. I do think a weakness of Hal is that they have way less variety wrt entertainment on the different ships. Eg. on NCL and others the entertainment is entirely different on different ships, whereas Hal is pretty much the same. But everyone should try different cruise lines. The variety keeps it interesting.
LOL at Alisa not knowing if you're young, middle aged, or old. Well, to young people you're OLD. To old people you're Young and to middle aged people you're our age🤣🤣🤣
I just subscribed to your channel. I never took a cruise but plan on finally taking one. I am just interested on how someone in a wheelchair can get onto a ship? My wife could not push a chair up a ramp.
No worries, there will be plenty of help for you. I've seen the ship crew and even other passenger help passengers in wheelchairs get on the ship many times. One time we were in a small remote port in the South Pacific, and there was no ramp, only stairs onto the ship. The crew and other passengers..including my husband..actually carried a lady, in her wheelchair, up the stairs, and onto the ship. Everyone cheered..It was amazing!
I was on the Eurodam 2 weeks ago to Alaska. I have walking and standing problems and was able to pre-arrange for wheelchair assistance on and off of the ship. At Ketchikan, the tide changed, and the ramp and stairs had to be moved into a much steeper position. Those of us who required wheelchair assistance were wheeled up by 3 guys, one in front and 2 behind. Even with three, it was a struggle for them. I couldn't have done it myself.
We just got off the Rotterdam on a 21 day Norway, Iceland, Scotland cruise and it was our first time sailing with them. I had another booked for spring 2024 but cancelled as soon as I got home. I agree that the food was great and cabins were clean and laid well plus the ship has great decor and functions well. We are 70 years old and we felt that it was a floating retirement home with walkers, wheelchairs and motorized carts everywhere. The sea days were extremely boring with most of the activities being promotional at a cost. They nickel and dime you all the time - everything had a cost. Several times, they gave you a billfold asking you for extra gratuities - at the Cantelleto restaurant , we paid around $60 per couple plus 18% gratuities plus gratuities on our drinks and they still asked for more gratuities after we finished. Like everyone else, we paid $16 per day gratuities also. Very little trivia or other activities like that. Trivia was at noon near the Ledo pool where it was noisy and crowded and at around 4 PM at a Billboard Onboard bar which was also crowded and noisy. Other cruise line like Princess have a lot more activities plus a designated area for them. We had premium internet which was supposed to able to stream but hardly worked at all - all we got were excuses - mountains, too far north, system needs maintenance etc. We paid around $300 for this service and got nothing. HAL seems to always change their agenda's all the time - they changed this one twice and the one we cancelled was already changed twice. When you book , you see the choice of excursions but after booking the list is cut in half - the first day at Edinburgh we had only 2 choices which sold out immediately. The entertainment (Step One Dancers) is good the first time but not over and over again and the music walk is far too loud - I guess they think old people are hard of hearing. We are not new to cruising and have sailed several cruise lines but mainly Princess. This cruise was the most boring vacation we have ever had spending far too much time in our cabin with little to no TV. We have never been on a cruise where the library was overflowing with people - who goes to a library on a cruise ship? Might as well stay home. The casino's were full of old people playing slots and the Bingo was always full. Bottom line if you don't like activity of any kind and just like to lay around and eat , gamble and read- then this is a cruise line for you - for the young at heart - stay away. I don't have a You-Tube channel where HAL gave away free cruises on their new ship "Rotterdam" to get good reviews - I am giving our experience just a few weeks ago and many other fellow cruisers had the same experience and I would like to give an honest review of our experience.
I love you videos my wife and I are considering Holland America’s Rotterdam next March Panama Canal round-trip from Fort Lauderdale can you tell me the bars how late do they stay open and is there anywhere to get anything to eat after midnight and room service is free 24 hours
The music venues go until midnight - 1AMish. The pizza was open until midnight, after that it would be room service which is free 24 hours. It’s a great ship.
Holland America Line is a very relaxed cruise experience. I really enjoyed the space that the crew and passengers afforded each other. We were on an Alaskan cruise with our 7 year old. We had great excursions and Glacier Bay was the highlight of the trip. The food was solid and the specialty restaurants were very good. The kids program was reasonable I wish the hours were just a tad longer but understandable. Overall I would give the cruise a 8.5 out of 10.
I’m going on a Holland cruise next month and we have the have it all package, if we get the free room service should we tip in addition to the gratuity included?
Hi Tony😎, i was wondering if you have done a vlog on star trek cruises or ever plan to . i am a ST fan but have not considered this as a way to geek out. Opinion? are you by chance a ST watcher......?
We took our first ever Holland cruise in September 2022. We fully expected 7 days on a floating nursing home.
WELL.... nothing could be further from the truth! Holland literally wowed us at every single turn.
we've since done 3 more Holland cruises and another on the way in August 2003.
We're no longer interested in water slides and bells and whistles. Gives us quality and great music, food and enrichment programs !
Your video is right on the mark. Holland pinnacle class are our absolute favorite ships!
I love Holland America and was so spoiled by the luxury on the Rotterdam. So excited to sail on her again
Me too. Going on the Rotterdam to Aruba next month!🤩
After many years of cruising Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean my wife and I started looking at HAL for a smaller ship experience and their interesting/longer itineraries. However, we did have some hesitation pulling the trigger with booking with HAL based on some of the typical things your read/hear. In November of 2021 we finally decided to give HAL a try and pulled the trigger on a short 5 day trial cruise on the Rotterdam. Well, fast forward to today and in June we'll be taking our 5th cruise on the Rotterdam - obviously one of our favorite ships and we've come to enjoy the HAL experience. The combination of the crew, service, food, itineraries, ship (size/layout/decoration/cleanliness) and music (especially on the Pinnacle class) is a great match for us and dispelled many of the things we had heard. HAL is clearly now in our cruise rotation along with other lines since each offers a somewhat different but enjoyable experiences.
Alisa, great job on this video. You really are a natural on camera.
I"ve been cruising with Holland America since I was in my 40ies. Now in my 70ies. They really are the best deal for the money. High quality. I have no use for floating carnival rides and riff raff people that sail on NCL, Carnival, and Royal Carribean. If you want an affordable, traditional, and quality cruise in a ship that is not stuffed with 6000 people and yahoos, HAL is the best. You are spot on.
We went on our 1st cruise in 2010 for our 25th Anniversary. We were in our 40's, and yes we were some of the younger ones on the ship, but that did not stop us from having a great time. We met so many great people who had been cruising for years, and took us under their wings. We have since cruised NCL and Carnival, and Holland is definitely our favorite. The cabins and beds were so comfortable, food was fantastic, entertainment really good. We cruise more for itinerary than the cruise line, but we definitely love Holland. Great job Alisa.
Cruised Nieuw Statendam in January. Loved it ! I am 60 and my kids are I their 30s and they loved it as well !
We're taking our first cruise in July, for our 25th anniversary, and will be on the MS Volendam. It's not Pinnacle class but we couldn't be more excited! It's the perfect size for us to get our sea legs on and it won't stress my fear of crowds.
Some of the itineraries of the smaller ships are even more interesting! The two smaller ships are the only ones that can get all the way to Montreal, for example. Some of the entertainment venues are missing, but the overall atmosphere is (I think) a bit more laid back, which is good thing. Hope you enjoyed your cruise!
I appreciate your comments. I have cruised Holland 4 times and each experience was better than the last. First cruise I listed to people who said buffets are gross. The dining room was good but the next cruises we ate about 80% in the buffet and were totally happy. We were able to try foods from different countries and if we didn’t care for it…oh well , get a different plate. I can hardly await our next cruise. We have a rescue puppy that we need to consider this year. Happy cruising everyone.
It has been a slow progression. Years ago I stopped skiing the double diamond expert slopes and eventually stopped playing the higher-level county intermural league baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. I did not get hurt. I recognized that I my mind knew what to do, but the body was slowing down. To the point: I no longer surf, zip-line, climb rock walls. The novelty wore off a long time ago. Having only a radio and a record player, the first music I heard as a child was classical. I like it. The good life now is spending time at HAL Lincoln Center Stage, then walking along the passageway to BB King. Forward observation at the Crow's Nest/Exploration Center is great because there are no hot tubs (so the place is not packed with drinkers trying to get their money's worth). And yes, I've done an entire HAL cruise eating only at the buffet and MDR. Just got off WotS. Did not zip-line, climb a wall, surf, slide. Stayed up late a couple times, rode the carousel, and never ate at the Windjammer after the first day. I am glad that I did WotS, but I'd rather spend my money with HAL.
Love love love this. Been watching your videos in prep for our first cruise on HAL to Alaska next month. Really enjoying your content, hubby and I are the same age. Can’t wait to experience it.
We have been traveling on HAL since our first cruise in 1994 and are just hitting our 4 star. We are in our 50s, but been sailing with them since our 20s. We’ve been on Princess, Cunard, river cruises, and smaller lines, but keep coming back to HAL. Agree with the “secrets” I enjoy the Vistas, because the room sizes are bigger than the Pinnacle. Agree that they are less kid friendly on the Vistas, but we enjoy Pinnacle as well We love the Retreat as well.
We cruised to Alaska with HAL and love, love it! Going to Caribbean with HAL in November. We are definitely fans of HAL now!
The penguins picture reminds me of when I lived in Chicago trying to get to the train station in the winter! LOL
We were on the same cruise and we had no complaints. Will be return Ing... had a cookie every day. Lol
Going on Hal next year….can’t wait! 🚢
We love Holland America. We’ve cruised other lines and when we return to Holland America we easily see the difference in quality, presentation and service. The other lines should look to Holland America for an example to follow.
Oh I 100% agree!!
We recently took a 21-day HAL cruise on Nieuw Statendam to Iceland and Greenland, et al. It was great! This was one that my husband wanted to do. It was our second 21-day, the first was a repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Amersterdam with many other stops. In January, were sailing from San Diego to Hawaii and back. Two years ago we tried out Royal Caribbean for a six day out of Ft. Lauderdale. NEVER AGAIN! There were thousands of kids.
We just off Rotterdam. Best cruise we have had in ages. Music walk and food was the best!
Great overview, but I was hoping we could keep it a secret! We love HAL especially for the space per person on board and outdoor venues. On a cruise I want to be able to see the sea most of the time.
Wonderful reviews for HAL that I hope help middle-agers and younger folks CONSIDER cruising HAL for some of their cruises! Alysa, you pointed out so many features in such as short time! The aspect of the great itineraries is what brought us to HAL in 2009 and we've been cruising HAL ever since. We also cruise Carnival quite often and will venture out to do NCL Prima in August. For us, variety makes travel fresh and interesting and we hope others who haven't tried HAL yet will do so in the future!
I have to agree with the other person who thought Holland would be a floating nursing home. We we're on the Holland Amsterdam last year to Alaska. There were all ages on board and everyone was having the time of their lives! So much fun we booked the Statendam in December to the Easten Caribbean. Their service on board was amazing!
There are two good hideouts where you can relax in the morning and afternoons - the Tamarind Bar which overlooks the pool and is generally empty in the AM and the Ocean Bar in the early afternoon. If you are on a non-Pinnacle class ship, there is a library that has many interesting books. And unlike most lines, HAL ships have a full Promenade deck that comes in really handy on those Alaskan sailings.
In May, I'll be doing my second Holland America cruise - they've both been theme cruises so not the normal experience, but the ship was amazing and I love the Crow's Nest so much I booked my second cabin on the same deck so I'm only steps away
Excellent video! We moved over to HAL from Carnival and we love everything about HAL! We are right there with you regarding the food in the buffet no need to go to the dining room, plus we prefer to dine and move on, too much to see and do! We LOVE all the live music and the chill in your cabin evenings, those free on demand movies are a blessing! We have our 1st HAL Have It All Pkg cruise booked for January 2024 as we cruise 18 days to Hawaii......so I am binge watching all your Hawaii videos! Love your channel and now I know you are a TA as I need a good one as well.
My wife and I booked our first cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway because of your videos in 2018. We’ve been loving watching them ever since. By far our favorite travel UA-camrs!
Awe thank you 😊
You two are the first bloggers I started watching and it good to see the good info you guys are putting out say hi to the kids or should I say grown up you to are the best and great hair cut Elise
HAL is our favorite, we are in our 50s. We love the pinnacle ships. The only criticism we have is the ship coordination with their shore excursion operators. Which was still good just not as smooth as everything else.
We just got off our first cruise with Holland America and we were wonderfully surprised! Weren't sure what to expect when we boarded and disembarked amazed at how much fun we had. We're sailing with them in May - going to Alaska on the Koningsdam. We're putting together our videos on Nieuw Amsterdam and hope to have them posted to our UA-cam channel in the next few weeks.
I just love you two and all your advice ... you have such wonderful energy! THANK YOU
Great Vlog! I really like Holland America looking forward to the next time i can cruise with them! Lots of good info as always!!
Looking to book my fifth cruise but first on HA soon! Thanks for the review!
We have booked a Holland America cruise for October. It will be our first time cruising on them. We usually cruise on Oceania or Viking Ocean, but we liked the eastern Mediterranean itinerary that Holland had. Our ta turned up her nose when I mentioned HAL so I booked with a large booking firm. I’m hearing so many good things about them from you vloggers that I wanted to try them.
It’s all about expectations. There are no water slides, no escape rooms, no dry slides, no merry go rounds. There is good food, good entertainment, two pools, plenty of bars, a good steakhouse and a theater that can be great or not so great. Blues club is excellent. I would not recommend for kids but for adults HAL is a great experience.
We’ve sailed all of these lines as well and this is our opinion: HAL has more people, more entertainment options and varied things to do with less emphasis on lectures etc. Food is possibly a little less grand but very good, service is excellent but not as over the top (unless you’re in the exclusive area, of course). All in all, we like it very much and regularly alternate between lines depending on destination, ship and length of cruise.
My first ocean cruise was 10 nights on Viking to the Panama Canal and I have a cruise booked for next Spring on Oceania to do 14 nights in the Mediterranean. This Fall I will be doing an 11 night HAL on Eurodam to the Caribbean islands. The pricing seems comparable and I am hoping for only a few kids on HAL as both Viking and Oceania
are 18 and older. I think it's going to be fun to compare and contrast.
HAL rocks!
We have done 2 cruises on HAL. Alaska was great. The move to the Aft balcony was a great decision.
The "Have it All" package is the best deal at sea. I went on Holland in November 22 on a 7 day, paid less than $500 for the cabin per person, the have it all did add $400 but we ate at the Pinnacle Grill, had a shore excursion, and the signature drink package and wifi (although it sucked on New Amsterdam). Went to Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Aruba and Curacao. Great cruise. Blues Club is great, and the band plays other types of music too. The orange night in there was great.
We have cruised on HAL (S class, Signature class and Pinnacle class), Royal Caribbean (Freedom class, Oasis class and Quantum class) and Disney. We enjoyed them all for different reasons. I would describe HAL ships as refined, traditional, sedate, and understated. I feel HAL is best for a port intensive itinerary like Alaska, Med, and Baltic.
We just finished a Bahamas cruise on Allure of the Seas and our next cruise will be on the Oosterdam next year.
Thanks for the review.
So far it has only been Princess cruises for me, I want to try Holland now.
You and your husband are so cute together!
New subscribers here. We took our first HAL cruise 15 years ago when I was in my 40’s. We’re now 5 star there and have met amazing people of all ages on every trip we’ve taken. We aren’t exclusively HAL guests, but they are certainly one of our favs!
Glad you found our channel!! I agree, HAL is becoming one of our favorites.
@@EECCTravels Glad we found you too. If you have a chance, we hope you'll pop over to our channel and have a watch.
I booked on deck 4 on the Koningsdam because of your advice! 🤗
Hope you enjoy it!
Booked on Volendam November/December 2024 for 42 day cruise. We are 66/75 and looking forward to cruise. Still in great health and in the "GoGo" mode. Should be great adventure. Nice video. Thanks for posting!
T.U for the info, love yr energy - OMG the cookies look delicious 😋 we have just booked our 1st Holland America Cruise to New Zealand & can't wait, it looks Fab 💕
This sounds so inviting. I like the bigger balcony for the same price as above.
I’m going on the Konigsdam in Sept..you are making me very excited. It will be my first time. I’ve been on Disney, Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian. I think this one is going to be our vibe.
Our 1st cruise was on the Rotterdam in 2013 to the Caribbean. Loved it.
I enjoyed your video! Your voice is so pleasant-made me want to listen.
Awe thank you
We sailed on the Celebrity Equinox three weeks ago and the food on the Koningsdam last August on our Alaska cruise destroyed the food quality on Celebrity. No comparison. Not too mention HAL is less costly than Celebrity.
We have been HAL cruisers for a few years. We are going on Celebrity Summit in 2 months because of the itinerary. It is our first celebrity cruise.
HAL is home for us. They were the first cruise line we ever went on and the other lines always get compared to them. Can't wait until next year when we are cruising with them again.
I only sail Holland America love them I am a silver holder I went from a bronze to a silver in one cruise and my next cruise will be to Australia or the grand sail
Holland America has been our first choice for cruising since 1988 and we have logged over 350 days. High quality and fabulous customer service every trip. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Our grand kids also loved it when we took them to Alaska
Wow. Can’t wait for our upcoming HAL cruise. Too bad LCS is gone. Wow your hair has grown so much in 9 months. I’m jealous😊
My husband and I travel a lot, now we’re interested in cruising. We’re taking our first Holland America cruise in two weeks.
I love HAL!!
Sailed on Koningsdam & Noordam. Just loves simplicity n best itinerary.
Planning to get a cruise to Asia with HAL. I’m actually working 10 years for this company and super excited about future vacations. Nothing wrong with old people though:) I’m serving 10 years tourists in Alaska from HollandAmerica and Princess and a lot of them super cool people, nice to meet with and fun to talk, hear many stories and practical advices. I value old people. They are jewelry of our times. And if I will take my mom with me she definitely will find new friends. That is great.:) thank you for reviews and tour on a ship. I loved it:)❤
Luv the HAL ships!!!
We are going on our first cruise as a couple in May on HAL. We are in our late 20s and I’m not worried at all about the older crowd. We aren’t big nightlife people and just want to relax and spend time with our families, who will be with us. I’m excited about the food and the music walk. We are going to Alaska and my only worry is that we are so early in the season that it will be too foggy to see anything off the ship.
I started getting casino deals from our Alaska trip. I'm thinking about jumping on another one honestly because I didn't think it was just for older cruisers and I'm 38. I would definitely sail HAL again
This is great to hear. We are leading for our first Holland America cruise this weekend and have terrible experiences with them using the website, app and when calling for assistance. I was saying I might never book with them again based on this experience so far alone. I'm encouraged by your review! Thx.
Website and app do need attention. Can be buggy. Hopefully HAL addresses sooner rather than later. Otherwise we've enjoyed every cruise with them so far.
I’m 28 I look forward to laughing and hearing some great stories from interesting people.
I would like to thank you ma'am for all the information you have given very interesting on how people can believe on the false statements of people that don't know nothing about cruise ships I am going to be booking a cruise with Holland America soon after my surgery and I will try to get in touch with you to help me out but until then thank you again for all the hard work that you're doing keeping people up-to-date Holland America
Just did our first ocean cruise on the Eurodam going to Alaska. We had a great time. Wasn't a lot of kids, which works for me. Food was good. Tamarind was our favorite. Pinnacle was our least favorite. Overcooked the steaks twice. Buffet was surprisingly good. Main dining room was very good also. We are drinkers so the have it all package with the elite beverage option was great for us. I don't think I want to do a Caribbean cruise. I would do Alaska again in a second and I wouldn't even look at another cruise line. If you go to Alaska, verandah cabin is a must. The views are spectacular. Music acts were very good. The mixologists were awesome. The crew of the ship is great. I have no real complaints.
HAL is usually a good experience. Crowd is a bit older than other lines but there is still plenty of fun to be had. We did have a couple of minor issues on our last cruise with them. Made a review on our channel if anyone is interested.
I take those cookies 🍪 back to the cabin for when everything is closed!!!
So come on back home that’s where I first saw you guys and u 2 sold me on carnival but most of all to cruise thank you thank you 2
Your tour was great and very informative but you didn't mention the spa which I know you and Jason live to visit. Is it as good as others ships?
Great video ❤❤❤❤
We enjoy your videos, and yours are the ones that convinced us to try Holland America. So this December we booked a cruise, our first one! Have you ever sailed the New Amsterdam, and do you have a video for that ship? That is the ship we
are going on. We have heard the same comments about the demographics, but the trip hit all the right locations for our first trip. Thanks for putting out your vids!
Quick update. Holland America no longer has the Lincoln Center Stage. Not exactly sure why that partnership was dissolved, but it was.
I'll admit that I'm not a seasoned cruiser with lots of experience across all the major cruise lines, but I absolutely loved my Holland America Alaska cruise. You're right on point saying that the food was fantastic. We ate mostly at the buffet, but did try the main dining room and the Pinnacle Grill. Lots of variety (unlike what I found on Carnival), and it was all delicious.
We'll be doing an HA Alaska cruise tour later this year. From the looks of your videos, this should literally be a trip of a lifetime. Then next year, we'll be sailing Holland America around Hawaii. Again, I don't have a great deal of cruising experience, but I have nothing but great things to say about HA. Highly recommended.
I just booked my first HAL cruise. 3 cabins to celebrate my 53rd birthday and my husband's gran's 101st birthday (On the same day, November 2)
One of the biggest factors i consider when taking a cruise is the thermal suite - i first sailed with NCL and fell in love with the hydrotherapy pool and jacuzzi in there along with the heated loungers. Does HAL have something comparable???
Yes the sure do!
@@mirandamirer8972 awesome! do you have any details or pricing info???
We were on the Osterdam to Alaska. Like the ship size. Didn’t take long to go from one end to the other.
I'm in my 30s, and I only cruise HAL. I like the smaller ships, love the food, and old people know how to party. They should know. They've been at it for a while.
You are so right!! People need to remember this is the generation who lived through the 60’s!!!
@@EECCTravels they lived through it, but they probably don't remember it, lol.
I'm tempted to give HAL a try.
We loved the Rotterdam!
Do you like Holland America better than Princess? We were really impressed with Princess a few weeks ago, and even though Holland America in October was not the "old people's cruise" and we enjoyed the Lincoln Center Stage, we think overall Princess impressed us the most. Thoughts?
We have gone back and forth between HAL and princess but our last cruise on princess was our last. We thought maybe it was due to problems coming back from covid but our HAL cruise just a couple of months later was great and convinced us we had taken our last princess cruise.
I got 2 months until I'm on Eurodam to Alaska, going on Rotterdam for New Years! Glad to have met you on tne Vloggers Cruise
Have a great time!
We were on the Rotterdam in January, the Rock band was great. All the music was very good. They also stagger the venues so you can catch them all.
Thanks for the review. We are thinking about going on the Rotterdam. Our concern are the activities(or lack of activities). We understand it does not have all the bells and whistles as other resort type ships but have heard that there is not much to do during the day other than sit by the pool and maybe go to some enrichment talks. We would have 4 sea days and am concerned we might be bored. Is there live music during the day, trivia, game show type shows, pickle ball games-during sea days? I have been trying to find a daily schedule for the Rotterdam online but could not find one
Thank you. I am looking at a B2B on holland for April 2025. I want to show this video to my husband to help convince him🤣
We started our cruising on the Koningsdam, 😢 3 cruises totaling 40 nights 🌙 over 13 month's did you see the hook🪝 in my lip? 😅 Yes I have retired and cruising when I can is my life now. 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Well after the grandkids that is.
Went on Holland America to Bermuda. My then travel agent told me that most passengers will be over 80. It wasn't true. Holland America does have very good food. We ate in the buffett most days. When we were on the ship Canaletto's didn't have an extra charge. The Observations Lounge was very nice. Don't use WiFi. I am subscribed. Even hit the like button.
HAL is our best kept secret!! Do not spread the word.(:
Sorry for spilling the beans 😀
This our first time with Holland America cruise line
Shhhh! Don't tell everyone!
Those cookies look so good. stop it haha
My wife and I and some friends are traveling Holland American June 2024 Alaska 10 day three days in Denali and seven day cruise back to Vancouver it will be Our first cruise so any tips would be appreciated would love to do some helicopter and plane excursions
Hate me. We are 4 star, cruising since 2001, just got off Rotterdam and canceled our December cruise for second cruiseon New statendam. Booked liberty of the seas for second time in November and not looking back. we are mid 70s but HAL is a snooze cruise. Take a book or get the drink package cuz there isn't anything else to do until trivia at 4pm. God bless you for lov❤ing HAL.
What do you want them to be doing? I will admit that it's a downer that they took away cooking demos, which were in the (now) Club Orange dining room. We went to one cooking demo and it was awesome. On our recent cruise we did the 'margarita sampling' class thing, which was fun. But mostly we don't need the staff to do a lot for us. I do think a weakness of Hal is that they have way less variety wrt entertainment on the different ships. Eg. on NCL and others the entertainment is entirely different on different ships, whereas Hal is pretty much the same. But everyone should try different cruise lines. The variety keeps it interesting.
Caneletto is a jem and the upcharge for mariner members is next to nothing.
LOL at Alisa not knowing if you're young, middle aged, or old. Well, to young people you're OLD. To old people you're Young and to middle aged people you're our age🤣🤣🤣
Been on two cruises with Holland. Too bad they don't have that chocolate desert indulge night anymore. That was awesome
amazing
I just subscribed to your channel. I never took a cruise but plan on finally taking one. I am just interested on how someone in a wheelchair can get onto a ship? My wife could not push a chair up a ramp.
No worries, there will be plenty of help for you. I've seen the ship crew and even other passenger help passengers in wheelchairs get on the ship many times. One time we were in a small remote port in the South Pacific, and there was no ramp, only stairs onto the ship. The crew and other passengers..including my husband..actually carried a lady, in her wheelchair, up the stairs, and onto the ship. Everyone cheered..It was amazing!
I was on the Eurodam 2 weeks ago to Alaska. I have walking and standing problems and was able to pre-arrange for wheelchair assistance on and off of the ship. At Ketchikan, the tide changed, and the ramp and stairs had to be moved into a much steeper position. Those of us who required wheelchair assistance were wheeled up by 3 guys, one in front and 2 behind. Even with three, it was a struggle for them. I couldn't have done it myself.
We just got off the Rotterdam on a 21 day Norway, Iceland, Scotland cruise and it was our first time sailing with them. I had another booked for spring 2024 but cancelled as soon as I got home. I agree that the food was great and cabins were clean and laid well plus the ship has great decor and functions well. We are 70 years old and we felt that it was a floating retirement home with walkers, wheelchairs and motorized carts everywhere. The sea days were extremely boring with most of the activities being promotional at a cost. They nickel and dime you all the time - everything had a cost. Several times, they gave you a billfold asking you for extra gratuities - at the Cantelleto restaurant , we paid around $60 per couple plus 18% gratuities plus gratuities on our drinks and they still asked for more gratuities after we finished. Like everyone else, we paid $16 per day gratuities also. Very little trivia or other activities like that. Trivia was at noon near the Ledo pool where it was noisy and crowded and at around 4 PM at a Billboard Onboard bar which was also crowded and noisy. Other cruise line like Princess have a lot more activities plus a designated area for them. We had premium internet which was supposed to able to stream but hardly worked at all - all we got were excuses - mountains, too far north, system needs maintenance etc. We paid around $300 for this service and got nothing. HAL seems to always change their agenda's all the time - they changed this one twice and the one we cancelled was already changed twice. When you book , you see the choice of excursions but after booking the list is cut in half - the first day at Edinburgh we had only 2 choices which sold out immediately. The entertainment (Step One Dancers) is good the first time but not over and over again and the music walk is far too loud - I guess they think old people are hard of hearing. We are not new to cruising and have sailed several cruise lines but mainly Princess. This cruise was the most boring vacation we have ever had spending far too much time in our cabin with little to no TV. We have never been on a cruise where the library was overflowing with people - who goes to a library on a cruise ship? Might as well stay home. The casino's were full of old people playing slots and the Bingo was always full. Bottom line if you don't like activity of any kind and just like to lay around and eat , gamble and read- then this is a cruise line for you - for the young at heart - stay away. I don't have a You-Tube channel where HAL gave away free cruises on their new ship "Rotterdam" to get good reviews - I am giving our experience just a few weeks ago and many other fellow cruisers had the same experience and I would like to give an honest review of our experience.
that itinerary on any cruiseline would be really old. Younger people either can't afford it or can't take that much time off of work.
There were lots on the 14 day or 7 day part of this cruise as well so that would make no difference@@monkeyb1820
I love you videos my wife and I are considering Holland America’s Rotterdam next March Panama Canal round-trip from Fort Lauderdale can you tell me the bars how late do they stay open and is there anywhere to get anything to eat after midnight and room service is free 24 hours
The music venues go until midnight - 1AMish. The pizza was open until midnight, after that it would be room service which is free 24 hours. It’s a great ship.
Holland America Line is a very relaxed cruise experience. I really enjoyed the space that the crew and passengers afforded each other. We were on an Alaskan cruise with our 7 year old. We had great excursions and Glacier Bay was the highlight of the trip. The food was solid and the specialty restaurants were very good. The kids program was reasonable I wish the hours were just a tad longer but understandable. Overall I would give the cruise a 8.5 out of 10.
I’m 56 and looking forward to my upcoming transatlantic cruise on HAL because the demographic is older!
On shorter crusies, the ages are much more varied. Take a longer cruise (14+) and you will find a much older crowd.
That's on almost any cruise line.
I just did a 16 day on Princess. The ages were much younger than I have experienced on Holland America for a similar length cruise.
I’m going on a Holland cruise next month and we have the have it all package, if we get the free room service should we tip in addition to the gratuity included?
It is common to give the person delivering room service an additional tip.
@@EECCTravels thanks!
Hi Tony😎, i was wondering if you have done a vlog on star trek cruises or ever plan to . i am a ST fan but have not considered this as a way to geek out. Opinion? are you by chance a ST watcher......?
I think this comment was meant for La Lido Loca…