Want to see the vlogs from this cruise? Here’s the full playlist: Holland America Rotterdam - ABC Islands Cruise ua-cam.com/play/PLuDj8DwQeestMtpwGZZpB4xvJ19A6zK-3.html
Me and my husband (both 70) just finished watching this video and the previous videos for this cruise you took on Holland America. We had to chuckle when you were talking about the “old people”. We didn’t take offense at what you said, believe me. We consider ourselves old as we are 70. When we were your age we definitely thought people age 70 were old. But it’s funny, when you turn 70, you still feel like you’re 30 or 40. And we act it most of the time. We are active and we travel around the world. We have to while we are still healthy because you never know what’s in store for you down the line. Anyway, we enjoy your videos and are glad you get to go so many places so young. But just remember…….when you are 70 and on a cruise or wherever, there are going to be people calling you old and you are going to go WHAT? I’m not old!!! It’s very weird. Ha ha! Hope you didn’t take offense to this comment because it wasn’t meant that way. Just keep havin fun!! 🛳️
My husband and I are also 70 years old… We love to dance, and I feel like we close down the dance venues most nights… Just came off the celebrity silhouette, and we dance the night away… Looking forward to trying Holland pinnacle class ships someday…
We're loyal HAL fans and have enjoyed 10 cruises with them since we were in our 40s. What we love most about HAL is their fabulous itineraries, great food and service, and the smaller ship vibe. But we aren't locked into HAL as we've cruised equally as many times with CCL (no short party cruises) and loved them as well! We have cruised RCL Radiance of the Seas once and will do first NCL on Prima in August. We have wish list to try Celebrity, Cunard, and River cruises! On all of our HAL cruises (Zaandam, Oosterdam, Statendam, Eurodam, Rotterdam, Zuiderdam) we've met fabulous people from all around the world. Jason & Alysa, you are SO RIGHT about chatting with the older crowd! They have so much to share! And our connection is we all love cruising! Our experience becomes much richer when we learn about other cultures and are fortunate to interact with people from other countries. For many itineraries, experts and naturalists join the ship to provide lectures and first hand information about locales. We agree HAL must be taking care of their employees as they do seem truly happy and do such a great job! Lots of nice small touches. I think it is true that you can just FEEL the quality!
I cruised on HAL Rotterdam, as a single, back in the 70s (I was in my mid 20s). It was my 2nd ever cruise (my first being on COSTA Federico C) and I fell in love with the cruiseline.
Thank you for your videos! I like how you share detail content. Your videos help my husband and I make decisions on our cruise vacations. We went on the Carnival -Mardi Gras-it was amazing! We ate at Street Eats, Shaq chicken and Guys Burger😋Emeril’s was the best!
Bless your hearts! I love how you said us 70 year olds can out party you ‘youngins’!!! 😂As a matter of fact, our granddaughters who are 19 & 22 wanted us to go to Florida with them, their boyfriends & parents. Better believe, we are going! 🤣
Thanks for sharing. I have always wanted to do the ABC Islands. Speaking of the elder.. I am one of them. :) We are not that much older than you guys. Maybe 15 years older :) We still enjoy a good cruise a great crowd and yes, even the younger crowd, like you all. You guys rock. Thanks for sharing. Next cruise will be on Holland.
Hal is our go to. We always check them first when were booking a cruise. My husband and I are 40s-50s. We are never bored and usually end up having to pick and choose what we do.
I “ discovered” HAL in my early 40s and was bowled over. I choose them for their great food, outstanding service, attention to detail, and interesting itineraries. Your review is spot-on!
Thank you for sharing your relaxing cruise and thoughts with us. We have not done HAL yet, however, do plan on it. Our favorite (which we have done 3 times) is LA to HAWAII round trip - 15 days. Now that is a chill and relaxing cruise. Thanks again!
Jason you have to try scuba diving seeing how you like snorkeling. I have been a diver for many years and you will have a whole new appreciation. Cozumel will never be the same once you scuba dive it.
I took this exact cruise just before Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed both the ship and the itinerary. Unfortunately it’s was pouring rain in Bonaire so I’m going to have to go back there. I just love HAL ships. I agree the food is the best on sea.
Always love your videos. U2 are so great! Would love to do the ABC islands. Thanks for sharing this video with us and keep up the good work!👍🏼⚓️🌴🛳️🦩💕💕💕💕
You missed a LOT at Curacao just walking around we LOVED it. Like the Heart Lock when you crossed the bridge. Found an awesome hand painting my husband fell in LOVE with. The back streets are amazing.
Im 20, have only ever said with HAL (6 cruises) and absolutely love everything about it! My parents are currently on the Rotterdam. Arrived in Plymouth yesterday x
NCL parked at Amber Cove in December. Both the Epic and Encore. It was supposed to go to Puerto Plata. However, the water was choppy so I suspect that they didn't want to risk another grounding.
Try a back to back cruise. We've done four and love them. Usually after the first one, you have to hang out in one of the lounges with others doing the same thing for an hour or two, they usually have a continental breakfast kind of set up, once the other passengers are off, they run you through customs and right back on the ship ahead of the net group. It's nice as you have a fairly empty ship for a couple hours, you know all the secret places the first few days the others don't and you don't have to unpack!
I love the A B C islands and will be there in September. Haven’t been on HAL for several years but want to sail with them again. I agree with all you said about HAL
Thank you for this great video… my husband and I are both 70… we love to dance… That sounds like a great cruise for us… PS… We seem to close down the dance venues… Lol
Thanks Alissa and Jason! We have primarily cruised NCL, but not sure if building rewards is worth staying with one line. We're not interested in the 5-6K size ships. I'm going to check out Holland and the ABC Islands.
We took the same cruise that you took back in October of last year. Our first full day on the ship was Halloween and what a blast we had. The costumes that people brought on board were amazing! (Could not figure out how some of them were packed in a suitcase!!). The ship was the newest ship that we ever travelled on. We were spoiled beyond belief. We had taken an older Holland ship a few years back when we travelled to Alaska. That ship was great as well. Our favorite stop in the ABC Islands was Curacao. Such a beautiful place. It was a great cruise that was extended by a day when we were caught at sea after leaving Grand Turk by Hurricane Nicole! Holland provided WIFI to everyone on the ship once we were told that we were staying at sea for an additional day (We had it already, but again, that is how Holland treats its passengers). Our favorite spot on the ship was the Grand Dutch Cafe followed by Dive in Burgers. We ate in three of the specialty restaurants which were fabulous! The service all of the ship was top notch. We are planning a trip in 2024 to Greece and the Holy Land on Holland. Looking forward to another trip with them.
We have done 18 cruises in 8.5 years and 2 of them were with HAL. One on the Volendam and one on the Koningsdam. They were every bit as enjoyable as NCL, RCCL and actually more upbeat than some of our Celebrity cruises. Can’t go wrong and we are in our early 50’s.
In Amber Cove, for something different and a cheap excursion, there is a bus just outside the terminal that you can take for $10 round trip to Altos de Chavon. It’s a replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village. It was a beautiful and quiet place to spend a few hours walking around.
My 23 yr old son and his friend are going on the Eurodam to Alaska this summer. They know they'll probably be one of the youngest adults and its definitely not a Royal Caribbean cruise but they are excited. I'm doing my research right now to give him all the tips for enjoying the ship.
Holland America is my favorite line. Great seeing you both on the Vlogger Cruise ("boardgames" guy). I am on Eurodam June 3rd to Alaska, watch me on Slevin Sojourn!
I went on a 16 day Panama Canal cruise and oh my gosh I tell you what I could live on a cruise ship I truly truly could I could live on a cruise ship I love Krusen and I’ve just recently started. My first one was in 2019 and I was supposed to go on another one in 2020 and of course that didn’t happen but then I went on one in 2022 in October and then in January. I did another one they were all on the Norwegian Bliss. I love that ship, and I have made so many great friends with the crew.
We sailed on Holland America several times and loved everything about it. We have also sailed on carnival a few times and was underwhelmed by pretty much everything
The last time I was on Holland America was on the Noordam in an aft suite that was falling apart. I was extremely disappointed because it was our second time in the same suite a year apart and it was a disaster. Sewage coming up thru the plumbing, broken tiles, broken doors…lots of issues all of which were reported as we encountered them. I spent the last night talking with all of management with no resolve. This has kept me from booking Holland since. The ship was in dire need of dry dock. That being said the food, service, itineraries and entertainment were always top notch. I loved seeing your reviews of the new ships and I must say it’s got my interest up to possibly book them again. Thank you for your positive coverage.
I love your videos, you're always so full of energy and your love of cruising is evident! This video made me even more excited for my cruise this summer on the MS Volendam! 😎
You mentioned about NCL is to start using Amber Cove, when we cruised on the Escape Feb 11-18 2023 we ported at Amber Cove. It seems to be about 50/50 for the NCL ships using Amber Cove vs Taino Bay. Our taxi driver told us that he had heard that NCL would use Amber Cove only if a) there was space at Amber Cove and B) no other ships at Taino - he mentioned that it is more expensive at Taino if there’s only one ship in port (not sure how valid that is) so it’s cheaper when there’s 2 ships there… No idea on how accurate that is but it was from a local
Sounds like our type of ship, no theme park making excess noise or screaming kids 24/7! Lol 10 days-2 weeks is perfect. My in-laws did a world cruise years ago , 105 -115 days & they were ready to get off at about 90 days! Lol . Guess Jason won’t go on that cruise! Huh? 😂
Hal is good. I really hope they can bring back cooking demos. They had them on the pinnacle class, but that was before covid and before they turned those rooms into 'club orange'. But if Costco can safely give out samples, I think they can safely resume cooking demos in some way. Little touches like that were what set them apart.
WOW, I wish I was with you guys on that cruise. Hoping to try them later this year. I've found there are two different kinds of 'old' people. My husband and I were on a smaller (28k tons) 5.5 star ship and a lot of the passengers were approximately in their 70's, maybe 80's. A LOT of walkers and wheelchairs. My husband (who is 31 years older than me, then 86) turns to me and says "Why did you book us on a cruise with all these old people?" WHAAAAT!!! Here's the thing - there are 'old' people who wake up and probably think or say 'oh damn, I was given another day'. That's the kind of peeps that were on that cruise. Fast forward , we've sailed on Crystal several times and those passengers are all ages, but yes, a lot 70, 80, 90. But they wake up and say/think.."ok what's the agenda today, what can we do, where can we go?" and they LOVE LIFE AND LIVING. Bottom line - it's a crap shoot who your fellow passengers will be. You have no control over the weather or your who/what your fellow passengers are! Just cruise and be happy!
I have always appreciated Holland America. It was my son and his wife who actually endorsed Holland to us and they got married on a Holland cruise from Tampa. Everything has always been top notch on board. We have never even noticed one age demographic over another. 😊
We have only ever cruised HAL. The older ships are nice but they took the old ship we sailed on out of service and sold her, the newer ships are definitely what we look for, we want to relax and not have all the gadgets and things other cruise lines offer. We love the itinerary, the staff, the music bands and the theatre shows. We just thoroughly enjoy what we book.
Good to see you enjoyed HA. Join us in February 2025 for a 35 day Hawaii - French Polynesia. We sailed with you on the Mardi Gras her second week. Talked with you a bit at the back pool on the last sea day.
Great video! My last HAL cruise was 2019 on the Oosterdam. It had a very old clientele , lots of wheel chairs. We had only sailed with Disney, and were set back when they would not let us in because my husband did not have a collared shirt on ( and he had jeans on). This was in the main dining room, regular dinner. Now, watching videos on the newer Pinnacle class ships, they look night and day from the older ships. Older ships lacked the music venues and food choices. Hats off to HAL recognizing they needed to make a change. I’ll let you know after I take that ABC sailing you just took on the Rodderdam next year LOL.
I have cruised Holland 4 times over the last 10 years, have also cruised other cruise lines during this time. The reality is Holland is a little quieter during the day, not as many things to do because they are smaller ships with less features. No slides no rock walls, no aqua theaters, no ice skating, etc. However the evenings are definitely lively, lots of music going on at Billboard onboard and BB Kings which has always been excellent. I have never been on a Pinnacle Class ship, been on Niew Amsterdam twice, Eurodam, Westerdam. I would not recommend them for kids but for anyone else they are great. I would agree the food and service is excellent and their “All In” program is the best value at sea.
They have a FANTASTIC children's program in Club HAL. They hire early childhood educators and teachers. Though yes, if you are looking for flash and disney land rides, HAL is not it.
We cruised Hal Rotterdam 2001, Maasdam 2004, Zuiderdam 2010. It was very different back then. HAL didn't provide the same level of entertainment as they do today. Biggest crowd you would see in a bar would be on formal night. Many nights we went to the bar & it would be empty, no live music just a DJ. Ships were pretty dead at 10 pm. Lido deck during the day, no music, people napping maybe playing cards/games. Ships were beautiful, service was outstanding, food was good & we like the itineraries. Bonaire, we went with Woodwind Tours for snorkeling....Amazing! Resort in Bonaire that you went to is Chicago? .
I think Holland America was the cruise ship company comes to my hometown in Sitka, Alaska as a teenager seeing them anchored out in the bay and bringing passengers on a shore boat. ai never thought I had an interest in cruise ship til recently.
I don't mind sailing with a older crowd . I enjoy talking to them . They have experienced more of life than I have and their life stories are interesting.
HAL is and has always been my favorite cruise line. My first HAL was in 2001, I was 38 years old at the time and it was on the Veedam, which was one of my favorite ships until the new Pinnacle ships were built and now at age 60, I can still say that I prefer HAL over any cruise line. I love the atmosphere, the food and entertainment is so much better. I have been on a few older HAL ships along with the newer ones and I have fun on every ship. I have always recommended HAL.
We have kids your age lol! Holland is for us . Not into water slides but definitely into Food and Music. Thank you for all you do especially your videos.
Our favorite is 14 days, we did a B2B and it turned out to be a total 23 on a ship (7+16 reposition) and by the time we got home total of 27 days gone.
The old folks of today are the first rock'n'roll generation, so we're pretty different than the previous generation. I've always been more comfortable with a younger crowd than say even with my older siblings and cousins. They were raised on the big bands, we were raised on Elvis and the Beatles. We'll keep partying until they pry the cocktail glasses out of our cold dead hands!
We also, both in Early 70’s got a kick about the words you used when referring to us old folks too. When we do European cruises we always make it at least a three week affair being it costs so much to fly there. Try to make it worth the money. In fact, we took a Viking cruise last fall and were bored.
I agree with your assessment of Curacao. We had a great tour. Hopped on a bus and they toured the entire Island. So informative and fun. We also toured the distillery. That was fun! You get to taste all their products at the end and it wasn't limited :) (At least when we were there three years ago). The food was good there too. The island and its history are pretty interesting. We had the best tour guide. It wasn't a tour offered by the cruise ship. We just happened upon this converted school bus. It was $20/person and probably the best tour ever! I have to admit...we had never taken a tour that wasn't on the ships list but this one was really worth it. We were gone several hours (still had plenty of time to make the ship). Friends of ours took a tour just to the distillery and it cost them almost three times as much and they didn't get to see anything else. So, we were very, very happy.
Thank you so much for your videos!! We always enjoy them!! Would love to see your opinions on Virgin's ships. Do you have any plans to sail on those ships?
Hi Alisa and Jason ! Enjoying all your vlogs...I often hear Alisa talk about her getting burned by the sun and was wondering if you have tried any of the non-nano mineral/zinc sunscreens? I usually do not get burned if using a non-chemical sunscreen. (and better chance of not getting cancer supposedly since the sunscreen minerals do not absorb the UVA/UVB rays into your skin, only stays on top.....but do your research if interested...Also really good ones for me are the Pacifica beauty ones- just be careful if you try since they have 'bronzing' ones besides just without the bronze color meaning they have a little color added so you can look a little bronzy- and also see where your sunscreen is at, but could get on your bathing suit- but washes out of mine..I love Pacificas face sunscreen with the color since it gives me protection AND color! So i'm not pale......but it's not a sunless tanner. Hope this helps !
HOA is the best for food, we did a 38 days cruise on the Oosterdam, from Rome to Venice, Venice to Barcelona and Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, although the crossing was wonderful, the entertainment was not. So my hubby doesn’t want to go back with them, why because all the itinerary we like we would cruise on the Oosterdam, ah well in a few years maybe. 7 days cruise is definitely not enough.
We went on a 10 day Eastern on the Getaway last November. I agree with Jason, good length for a cruise. Also, we docked at Amber Cove so NCL has been docking there for quite some time, at least some ships. I've heard of others going to Taino. Who knows! :)
B B King’s on HAL is more a R&B and Soul venue than a true Blues show as compared to the BBK on land. But they will break into some traditional blues during each set. Highly recommended. 🎸🎺🎷😎
We’ve been cruising HAL for 25 years since we were in our 20’s, with and without our kids. We choose HAL cruises for 1. Itinerary, 2. Uncrowded, 3. Amazing food. Ask any “old” cruiser to tell you about their favorite places they’ve visited and you will learn so much about the world. HAL’s clientele are well traveled, not “old.” People act like they will never be old some day. I’ll take “old” over the alternative.
From Cruise Hive: It is the last port of call that is being changed on the ship’s itinerary, and now Norwegian Getaway will visit Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, rather than Puerto Plata. The time and date of the visit will not change, however, and the ship will be in Amber Cove from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 27.
I can’t keep up with you guys. I originally started watching for your cruising adventures, then you bought a van and were traveling around in that, and now you’re back to cruising. Whew. Getting tired just watching. 😂. My first cruise was a few years ago on Holland to Alaska. I loved it!!! Loved every second! We were in our mid sixties then and I didn’t even notice what age groups were on the ship, but I think it was pretty mixed. But we’re not too much into partying and were in our cabin by about 9 every night.
I've been sailing with Holland America since I was 23 years old. I am now 37 and about to reach 4 star. I LOVE LOVE LOVE HAL. I have sailed on all their classes of ships and the service, excellent food and experience is equal across them all. AND NO TO FLIP FLOPS in the dining rooms. :P
You guys sure aren't spring chickens, and old people are absolutely not what they use to be! I took a 14 day Holland America cruise 20 years ago and was by far the youngest passenger on the ship, and I LOVED every second of it!
Want to see the vlogs from this cruise? Here’s the full playlist: Holland America Rotterdam - ABC Islands Cruise
ua-cam.com/play/PLuDj8DwQeestMtpwGZZpB4xvJ19A6zK-3.html
Thank you.
Me and my husband (both 70) just finished watching this video and the previous videos for this cruise you took on Holland America. We had to chuckle when you were talking about the “old people”. We didn’t take offense at what you said, believe me. We consider ourselves old as we are 70. When we were your age we definitely thought people age 70 were old. But it’s funny, when you turn 70, you still feel like you’re 30 or 40. And we act it most of the time. We are active and we travel around the world. We have to while we are still healthy because you never know what’s in store for you down the line. Anyway, we enjoy your videos and are glad you get to go so many places so young. But just remember…….when you are 70 and on a cruise or wherever, there are going to be people calling you old and you are going to go WHAT? I’m not old!!! It’s very weird. Ha ha! Hope you didn’t take offense to this comment because it wasn’t meant that way. Just keep havin fun!! 🛳️
From someone who is also 70, you are exactly right - nailed it. Keep cruising as long as you can and enjoy it while you can.
Totally agree. Glad old people don't other you😂😂
My husband and I are also 70 years old… We love to dance, and I feel like we close down the dance venues most nights… Just came off the celebrity silhouette, and we dance the night away… Looking forward to trying Holland pinnacle class ships someday…
I had to laugh when he kept talking about older people as if he is a teenager himself
At 69 and 70 years old we totally agree with these comments. I realize to younger people we are old but neither of us feel it!🤣🤣
We're loyal HAL fans and have enjoyed 10 cruises with them since we were in our 40s. What we love most about HAL is their fabulous itineraries, great food and service, and the smaller ship vibe. But we aren't locked into HAL as we've cruised equally as many times with CCL (no short party cruises) and loved them as well! We have cruised RCL Radiance of the Seas once and will do first NCL on Prima in August. We have wish list to try Celebrity, Cunard, and River cruises!
On all of our HAL cruises (Zaandam, Oosterdam, Statendam, Eurodam, Rotterdam, Zuiderdam) we've met fabulous people from all around the world. Jason & Alysa, you are SO RIGHT about chatting with the older crowd! They have so much to share! And our connection is we all love cruising! Our experience becomes much richer when we learn about other cultures and are fortunate to interact with people from other countries. For many itineraries, experts and naturalists join the ship to provide lectures and first hand information about locales.
We agree HAL must be taking care of their employees as they do seem truly happy and do such a great job! Lots of nice small touches. I think it is true that you can just FEEL the quality!
Thanks for adding your feedback 😃
I'm 63, and I feel you are only as old as you feel. And just a reminder we all get there. Enjoyed the vlog.
I cruised on HAL Rotterdam, as a single, back in the 70s (I was in my mid 20s). It was my 2nd ever cruise (my first being on COSTA Federico C) and I fell in love with the cruiseline.
Jason, as an old person who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s that music is our cool jam! Party with us old folks!!
Thank you for your videos!
I like how you share detail content.
Your videos help my husband and I make decisions on our cruise vacations. We went on the Carnival -Mardi Gras-it was amazing!
We ate at Street Eats, Shaq chicken and Guys Burger😋Emeril’s was the best!
Bless your hearts! I love how you said us 70 year olds can out party you ‘youngins’!!! 😂As a matter of fact, our granddaughters who are 19 & 22 wanted us to go to Florida with them, their boyfriends & parents. Better believe, we are going! 🤣
Thanks for your videos; all enjoyable. My first cruise, 1964, was a transatlantic on HAL. Our last HAL was on the Koningsdam. All great cruises.
Thanks for sharing. I have always wanted to do the ABC Islands. Speaking of the elder.. I am one of them. :) We are not that much older than you guys. Maybe 15 years older :) We still enjoy a good cruise a great crowd and yes, even the younger crowd, like you all. You guys rock. Thanks for sharing. Next cruise will be on Holland.
A smaller ship, with fun and experienced people and outstanding food? I'm 40 and I'm in!
Great video guys🎉
You've helped my husband and I decide what cruise to take next year!! Thanks for ALL you do!!
Such a sweet couple. I love your relaxing vacation.
Oh my, I’m old, 67, never realized it until now. Your only as old as you feel. Love me some rock and roll.
Hal is our go to. We always check them first when were booking a cruise. My husband and I are 40s-50s. We are never bored and usually end up having to pick and choose what we do.
I “ discovered” HAL in my early 40s and was bowled over. I choose them for their great food, outstanding service, attention to detail, and interesting itineraries. Your review is spot-on!
Thank you for sharing your relaxing cruise and thoughts with us. We have not done HAL yet, however, do plan on it. Our favorite (which we have done 3 times) is LA to HAWAII round trip - 15 days. Now that is a chill and relaxing cruise. Thanks again!
Jason you have to try scuba diving seeing how you like snorkeling. I have been a diver for many years and you will have a whole new appreciation. Cozumel will never be the same once you scuba dive it.
That's good to know that the "old people didn't bother you." 😉 I know what you meant, but it was still funny.
HAL is top notch from service to food to entertainment. We going on our 3rd cruise and heading to Hawaii.......CANT WAIT
I took this exact cruise just before Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed both the ship and the itinerary. Unfortunately it’s was pouring rain in Bonaire so I’m going to have to go back there. I just love HAL ships. I agree the food is the best on sea.
Always love your videos. U2 are so great! Would love to do the ABC islands. Thanks for sharing this video with us and keep up the good work!👍🏼⚓️🌴🛳️🦩💕💕💕💕
You missed a LOT at Curacao just walking around we LOVED it. Like the Heart Lock when you crossed the bridge. Found an awesome hand painting my husband fell in LOVE with. The back streets are amazing.
Next time!
Definitely give curacao another try. It was one of our families favorite islands!
Im 20, have only ever said with HAL (6 cruises) and absolutely love everything about it!
My parents are currently on the Rotterdam. Arrived in Plymouth yesterday x
NCL parked at Amber Cove in December. Both the Epic and Encore. It was supposed to go to Puerto Plata. However, the water was choppy so I suspect that they didn't want to risk another grounding.
Thanks guys!! I love all of your videos! Very informative and I love the way you guys have so much fun together that's awesome!!
The pictures of the food does look amazing. I would like all the live bands
Try a back to back cruise. We've done four and love them. Usually after the first one, you have to hang out in one of the lounges with others doing the same thing for an hour or two, they usually have a continental breakfast kind of set up, once the other passengers are off, they run you through customs and right back on the ship ahead of the net group. It's nice as you have a fairly empty ship for a couple hours, you know all the secret places the first few days the others don't and you don't have to unpack!
I love the A B C islands and will be there in September. Haven’t been on HAL for several years but want to sail with them again. I agree with all you said about HAL
Thank you for this great video… my husband and I are both 70… we love to dance… That sounds like a great cruise for us… PS… We seem to close down the dance venues… Lol
OMG there is a hidden Mickey on the Lido deck when you look down on it with the hot tubs lol😂
Love you guys! Don’t forget you are talking to the world like Aussies. You guys Rock!
Love HAL. And you’re right about the food. Their service is top notch also. And the passengers are on a different level 😊
Thanks Alissa and Jason! We have primarily cruised NCL, but not sure if building rewards is worth staying with one line. We're not interested in the 5-6K size ships. I'm going to check out Holland and the ABC Islands.
We took the same cruise that you took back in October of last year. Our first full day on the ship was Halloween and what a blast we had. The costumes that people brought on board were amazing! (Could not figure out how some of them were packed in a suitcase!!). The ship was the newest ship that we ever travelled on. We were spoiled beyond belief. We had taken an older Holland ship a few years back when we travelled to Alaska. That ship was great as well. Our favorite stop in the ABC Islands was Curacao. Such a beautiful place. It was a great cruise that was extended by a day when we were caught at sea after leaving Grand Turk by Hurricane Nicole! Holland provided WIFI to everyone on the ship once we were told that we were staying at sea for an additional day (We had it already, but again, that is how Holland treats its passengers). Our favorite spot on the ship was the Grand Dutch Cafe followed by Dive in Burgers. We ate in three of the specialty restaurants which were fabulous! The service all of the ship was top notch. We are planning a trip in 2024 to Greece and the Holy Land on Holland. Looking forward to another trip with them.
We have done 18 cruises in 8.5 years and 2 of them were with HAL. One on the Volendam and one on the Koningsdam. They were every bit as enjoyable as NCL, RCCL and actually more upbeat than some of our Celebrity cruises. Can’t go wrong and we are in our early 50’s.
Was on Koningsdam in May 2022 to Alaska and loved it.
I have been on close to thirty cruises and I agree that the food on Holland America is the best that I have had
We are giving them a go this December ... so excited
In Amber Cove, for something different and a cheap excursion, there is a bus just outside the terminal that you can take for $10 round trip to Altos de Chavon. It’s a replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village. It was a beautiful and quiet place to spend a few hours walking around.
My 23 yr old son and his friend are going on the Eurodam to Alaska this summer. They know they'll probably be one of the youngest adults and its definitely not a Royal Caribbean cruise but they are excited. I'm doing my research right now to give him all the tips for enjoying the ship.
I have a Jeep that same color! Love the videos and I definitely want to go on HAL cruise. Thanks Y'all 😊
Holland America is my favorite line. Great seeing you both on the Vlogger Cruise ("boardgames" guy). I am on Eurodam June 3rd to Alaska, watch me on Slevin Sojourn!
I went on a 16 day Panama Canal cruise and oh my gosh I tell you what I could live on a cruise ship I truly truly could I could live on a cruise ship I love Krusen and I’ve just recently started. My first one was in 2019 and I was supposed to go on another one in 2020 and of course that didn’t happen but then I went on one in 2022 in October and then in January. I did another one they were all on the Norwegian Bliss. I love that ship, and I have made so many great friends with the crew.
We sailed on Holland America several times and loved everything about it. We have also sailed on carnival a few times and was underwhelmed by pretty much everything
The last time I was on Holland America was on the Noordam in an aft suite that was falling apart. I was extremely disappointed because it was our second time in the same suite a year apart and it was a disaster. Sewage coming up thru the plumbing, broken tiles, broken doors…lots of issues all of which were reported as we encountered them. I spent the last night talking with all of management with no resolve. This has kept me from booking Holland since. The ship was in dire need of dry dock. That being said the food, service, itineraries and entertainment were always top notch. I loved seeing your reviews of the new ships and I must say it’s got my interest up to possibly book them again. Thank you for your positive coverage.
Curacao has been our favorite stop. We've been twice and had a blast both times.
Don't knock it till you try it ...we have been on a back to back cruise , ten day than a seven day. Those r so much fun!
We both dive. My wife doesn’t like to snorkel but diving works well for her.
We did a 14 day transAtlantic repositioning from Miami to Barcelona. No too long
I love your videos, you're always so full of energy and your love of cruising is evident! This video made me even more excited for my cruise this summer on the MS Volendam! 😎
You mentioned about NCL is to start using Amber Cove, when we cruised on the Escape Feb 11-18 2023 we ported at Amber Cove. It seems to be about 50/50 for the NCL ships using Amber Cove vs Taino Bay. Our taxi driver told us that he had heard that NCL would use Amber Cove only if a) there was space at Amber Cove and B) no other ships at Taino - he mentioned that it is more expensive at Taino if there’s only one ship in port (not sure how valid that is) so it’s cheaper when there’s 2 ships there… No idea on how accurate that is but it was from a local
Enjoyed your review and certainly changed our perception of HAL 👍
Sounds like our type of ship, no theme park making excess noise or screaming kids 24/7! Lol 10 days-2 weeks is perfect. My in-laws did a world cruise years ago , 105 -115 days & they were ready to get off at about 90 days! Lol . Guess Jason won’t go on that cruise! Huh? 😂
Hal is good. I really hope they can bring back cooking demos. They had them on the pinnacle class, but that was before covid and before they turned those rooms into 'club orange'. But if Costco can safely give out samples, I think they can safely resume cooking demos in some way. Little touches like that were what set them apart.
WOW, I wish I was with you guys on that cruise. Hoping to try them later this year. I've found there are two different kinds of 'old' people. My husband and I were on a smaller (28k tons) 5.5 star ship and a lot of the passengers were approximately in their 70's, maybe 80's. A LOT of walkers and wheelchairs. My husband (who is 31 years older than me, then 86) turns to me and says "Why did you book us on a cruise with all these old people?" WHAAAAT!!! Here's the thing - there are 'old' people who wake up and probably think or say 'oh damn, I was given another day'. That's the kind of peeps that were on that cruise. Fast forward , we've sailed on Crystal several times and those passengers are all ages, but yes, a lot 70, 80, 90. But they wake up and say/think.."ok what's the agenda today, what can we do, where can we go?" and they LOVE LIFE AND LIVING. Bottom line - it's a crap shoot who your fellow passengers will be. You have no control over the weather or your who/what your fellow passengers are! Just cruise and be happy!
Get lost and Go Travel!! Love it, yall are great! Love your videos. 🎉
I have always appreciated Holland America. It was my son and his wife who actually endorsed Holland to us and they got married on a Holland cruise from Tampa. Everything has always been top notch on board. We have never even noticed one age demographic over another. 😊
We have only ever cruised HAL. The older ships are nice but they took the old ship we sailed on out of service and sold her, the newer ships are definitely what we look for, we want to relax and not have all the gadgets and things other cruise lines offer. We love the itinerary, the staff, the music bands and the theatre shows. We just thoroughly enjoy what we book.
Good to see you enjoyed HA. Join us in February 2025 for a 35 day Hawaii - French Polynesia. We sailed with you on the Mardi Gras her second week. Talked with you a bit at the back pool on the last sea day.
Loved this guys. Thank you❤
Great video! My last HAL cruise was 2019 on the Oosterdam. It had a very old clientele , lots of wheel chairs. We had only sailed with Disney, and were set back when they would not let us in because my husband did not have a collared shirt on ( and he had jeans on). This was in the main dining room, regular dinner. Now, watching videos on the newer Pinnacle class ships, they look night and day from the older ships. Older ships lacked the music venues and food choices. Hats off to HAL recognizing they needed to make a change. I’ll let you know after I take that ABC sailing you just took on the Rodderdam next year LOL.
They most definitely have made changes! The new ships are fabulous!!
Try a longer cruise Jason you may be surprised. My last 3 cruises have been 25-30 days and they have been my favorites
Looks like a great time to me thanks guys
I have cruised Holland 4 times over the last 10 years, have also cruised other cruise lines during this time. The reality is Holland is a little quieter during the day, not as many things to do because they are smaller ships with less features. No slides no rock walls, no aqua theaters, no ice skating, etc. However the evenings are definitely lively, lots of music going on at Billboard onboard and BB Kings which has always been excellent. I have never been on a Pinnacle Class ship, been on Niew Amsterdam twice, Eurodam, Westerdam. I would not recommend them for kids but for anyone else they are great. I would agree the food and service is excellent and their “All In” program is the best value at sea.
They have a FANTASTIC children's program in Club HAL. They hire early childhood educators and teachers. Though yes, if you are looking for flash and disney land rides, HAL is not it.
We cruised Hal Rotterdam 2001, Maasdam 2004, Zuiderdam 2010. It was very different back then. HAL didn't provide the same level of entertainment as they do today. Biggest crowd you would see in a bar would be on formal night. Many nights we went to the bar & it would be empty, no live music just a DJ. Ships were pretty dead at 10 pm. Lido deck during the day, no music, people napping maybe playing cards/games.
Ships were beautiful, service was outstanding, food was good & we like the itineraries.
Bonaire, we went with Woodwind Tours for snorkeling....Amazing!
Resort in Bonaire that you went to is Chicago?
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I think Holland America was the cruise ship company comes to my hometown in Sitka, Alaska as a teenager seeing them anchored out in the bay and bringing passengers on a shore boat. ai never thought I had an interest in cruise ship til recently.
Love the new tag line!!
I don't mind sailing with a older crowd . I enjoy talking to them . They have experienced more of life than I have and their life stories are interesting.
🎉 just booked our first Holland America cruise! Going on Nieuw Statendam in Feb 15, 2025!!!
Can't wait!
Cheers ~ Steve 🤘
Hope you enjoy it!
Now you need to make T-Shirts that say on the back "I got Lost.... And went Traveling"
HAL is and has always been my favorite cruise line. My first HAL was in 2001, I was 38 years old at the time and it was on the Veedam, which was one of my favorite ships until the new Pinnacle ships were built and now at age 60, I can still say that I prefer HAL over any cruise line. I love the atmosphere, the food and entertainment is so much better. I have been on a few older HAL ships along with the newer ones and I have fun on every ship. I have always recommended HAL.
I really love the 21 day cruises😊
Should have done the rum tasting in curaçao 😊
We have kids your age lol!
Holland is for us .
Not into water slides but definitely into Food and Music.
Thank you for all you do especially your videos.
Thanks for watching!
Our favorite is 14 days, we did a B2B and it turned out to be a total 23 on a ship (7+16 reposition) and by the time we got home total of 27 days gone.
Nice!!
My wife and I have been on 5 HAL cruises! The last one was on the Statendam was our favorite!
I was on the NCL Getaway for a Thanksgiving 2022 Cruise and it stopped in Amber Cove!
Love the tagline!❤
The old folks of today are the first rock'n'roll generation, so we're pretty different than the previous generation. I've always been more comfortable with a younger crowd than say even with my older siblings and cousins. They were raised on the big bands, we were raised on Elvis and the Beatles. We'll keep partying until they pry the cocktail glasses out of our cold dead hands!
We also, both in Early 70’s got a kick about the words you used when referring to us old folks too. When we do European cruises we always make it at least a three week affair being it costs so much to fly there. Try to make it worth the money. In fact, we took a Viking cruise last fall and were bored.
I agree with your assessment of Curacao. We had a great tour. Hopped on a bus and they toured the entire Island. So informative and fun. We also toured the distillery. That was fun! You get to taste all their products at the end and it wasn't limited :) (At least when we were there three years ago). The food was good there too. The island and its history are pretty interesting. We had the best tour guide. It wasn't a tour offered by the cruise ship. We just happened upon this converted school bus. It was $20/person and probably the best tour ever! I have to admit...we had never taken a tour that wasn't on the ships list but this one was really worth it. We were gone several hours (still had plenty of time to make the ship). Friends of ours took a tour just to the distillery and it cost them almost three times as much and they didn't get to see anything else. So, we were very, very happy.
I have not been on Holland America before. I will have to check them out
Thank you so much for your videos!! We always enjoy them!! Would love to see your opinions on Virgin's ships. Do you have any plans to sail on those ships?
We went to Amber Cove on an NCL cruise last July, it was a substitute for the other DR port. It was packed, but we enjoyed the pool and the shops.
Hi Alisa and Jason ! Enjoying all your vlogs...I often hear Alisa talk about her getting burned by the sun and was wondering if you have tried any of the non-nano mineral/zinc sunscreens? I usually do not get burned if using a non-chemical sunscreen. (and better chance of not getting cancer supposedly since the sunscreen minerals do not absorb the UVA/UVB rays into your skin, only stays on top.....but do your research if interested...Also really good ones for me are the Pacifica beauty ones- just be careful if you try since they have 'bronzing' ones besides just without the bronze color meaning they have a little color added so you can look a little bronzy- and also see where your sunscreen is at, but could get on your bathing suit- but washes out of mine..I love Pacificas face sunscreen with the color since it gives me protection AND color! So i'm not pale......but it's not a sunless tanner. Hope this helps !
HOA is the best for food, we did a 38 days cruise on the Oosterdam, from Rome to Venice, Venice to Barcelona and Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, although the crossing was wonderful, the entertainment was not. So my hubby doesn’t want to go back with them, why because all the itinerary we like we would cruise on the Oosterdam, ah well in a few years maybe.
7 days cruise is definitely not enough.
We went on a 10 day Eastern on the Getaway last November. I agree with Jason, good length for a cruise. Also, we docked at Amber Cove so NCL has been docking there for quite some time, at least some ships. I've heard of others going to Taino. Who knows! :)
Hey.... Give it time.
With luck, one day YOU will be Old People.
B B King’s on HAL is more a R&B and Soul venue than a true Blues show as compared to the BBK on land. But they will break into some traditional blues during each set. Highly recommended. 🎸🎺🎷😎
I LOVE THE TAG LINE❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
We’ve been cruising HAL for 25 years since we were in our 20’s, with and without our kids. We choose HAL cruises for 1. Itinerary, 2. Uncrowded, 3. Amazing food. Ask any “old” cruiser to tell you about their favorite places they’ve visited and you will learn so much about the world. HAL’s clientele are well traveled, not “old.” People act like they will never be old some day. I’ll take “old” over the alternative.
You’re right Jason 7 days are to short, we are going on the Eurodam next year for 10 days… CANT WAIT! 🚢🚢🚢🚢
And we are doing the ABC islands
From Cruise Hive: It is the last port of call that is being changed on the ship’s itinerary, and now Norwegian Getaway will visit Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, rather than Puerto Plata. The time and date of the visit will not change, however, and the ship will be in Amber Cove from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 27.
I can’t keep up with you guys. I originally started watching for your cruising adventures, then you bought a van and were traveling around in that, and now you’re back to cruising. Whew. Getting tired just watching. 😂. My first cruise was a few years ago on Holland to Alaska. I loved it!!! Loved every second! We were in our mid sixties then and I didn’t even notice what age groups were on the ship, but I think it was pretty mixed. But we’re not too much into partying and were in our cabin by about 9 every night.
Haha! We are all over the place! We love to travel any way we can 😃
2 comments , #1 age is a state of mind!Lol #2 People in their 60s and 70s are of the Woodstock generation. Those people know how to PARTY.
I've been sailing with Holland America since I was 23 years old. I am now 37 and about to reach 4 star. I LOVE LOVE LOVE HAL. I have sailed on all their classes of ships and the service, excellent food and experience is equal across them all. AND NO TO FLIP FLOPS in the dining rooms. :P
You guys sure aren't spring chickens, and old people are absolutely not what they use to be! I took a 14 day Holland America cruise 20 years ago and was by far the youngest passenger on the ship, and I LOVED every second of it!
Isn't it good to know that "older people don't bother him"?
Lol I was thinking the same thing..like he ain’t that young lmao
I’m happy Holland America line is finally getting the attention it deserves. It truly is a different experience than let’s say Norwegian.