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This is traditional cruising – exceptional service and a focus on the core relaxation and exploration experiences rather than a lot of flashy facilities to fill your day. The service and food are also highly rated, while reviews of the cabins are majority positive, with just a handful saying that they are “adequate”. The biggest negative for the ship is the entertainment options during the day and evening, with some guests finding them to be a little bland.
Holland America Line Cruises From Port Everglades
The standards of service are still overwhelmingly high, with just a few minor comments from those who’ve had a bad experience with the food or who’ve had issues during their stay. Most people find the ship to be relaxing, but definitely tailored to a more mature audience. There isn’t a lot to do during the day and, like most Holland America ships, the kids’ areas are a little dated and dull. But if you enjoy exploring ports or don’t mind spending your day poolside, you’ll like the atmosphere of MS Westerdam. MS Nieuw Amsterdam is the sister ship of MS Eurodam and is an almost identical size – officially she is marginally smaller by just 3 gross tons. The MS Rotterdam is the newest ship in the Holland America fleet and she shares a lot of the same positive feedback as her earlier sister ship MS Nieuw Statendam, with the artwork of the ship again being notably popular.
Holland America Line Senior Cruises
Passengers cruising in suites get a host of extra privileges and might find that some of the extra-fee options are provided complimentarily. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. It’s worth remembering what I said at the start – the score difference between the ships in the Holland America fleet is relatively minimal, and on pretty much any ship you’ll have a great time. MS Zaandam is one of the older ships in the Holland America fleet, and one of two ships still remaining from the R Class. Despite her age, she has been carefully refurbished to a high standard so that she still offers a comfortable ship environment, even if the decor isn’t quite as sleek as the later ships.
Night Japan & TaiwanDetails
In December 2017, the ship underwent upgrades throughout, and several public spaces feel refreshed and contemporary. People who have previously traveled on Nieuw Amsterdam might breathe a sigh of relief to know that the ship has now banned smoking everywhere, except the outside Sea View Bar at the ship's aft. Carpeting has been replaced throughout the ship's public areas, and even the casino smells fresh and clean. Twelve lifts provide access to all passenger deck areas, ramps and doorways are designed to accommodate wheelchairs and there are 40 wheelchair accessible staterooms in varying categories. Many of the Holland America ships sail to Alaska – the cruise line offers various itineraries to the region throughout the year. The ships that sail to Alaska are the MS Eurodam, MS Koningsdam, MS Nieuw Amsterdam, MS Noordam, MS Volendam, MS Westerdam and MS Zaandam.
The oldest ship in the Holland America fleet that is still sailing for the cruise line is the MS Volendam, which launched in 1999. She was launched as the third ship in the R Class, although the two ships that came previously (the old MS Rotterdam, and MS Amsterdam) have since been sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Line. Reviews mention how good the service is, although the food does have some mixed reviews – more related to the service of food rather than the quality, which is widely regarded as excellent. MS Westerdam was the third ship in the Vista Class to launch, first setting sail in 2004. She has been carefully renovated and updated over the years, including the addition of the Music Walk entertainment for the evening, which has helped to give her a new lease of life.
Guests love MS Eurodam because she epitomises everything that is good about Holland America. She’s a mid-sized ship that mostly doesn’t feel crowded, with a great variety of food and excellent service from the crew who really go out of their way to make guests feel special. Nieuw Amsterdam attracts a large percentage of Americans from the Upper Midwest, East Coast and Canada. The majority of the passengers are couples and retirees, and daily activities and entertainment options seem to be designed for an older clientele. You'll find few families with young children onboard, but those who are cruising tend to receive special attention and enjoy a low child-to-crew member ratio in the onboard programs and activities.
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There are lots of nooks for conversation and quiet diversions like backgammon or settling back with a good book. Pre-dinner entertainment includes listening to a violin-piano duo perform and dancing to ballroom and show-tune classics. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. And while she may be the second-worst ship on this list according to customer reviews, her average scores are still high. That’s because people know what to expect from her, and are generally really happy with the experience.
BEST Holland America Line Cruises to the Baltic Sea (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
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The three Pinnacle-class ships in the Holland America fleet – MS Koningsdam, MS Nieuw Statendam and MS Rotterdam – have Single cabins for solo travellers. Unlike on other cruise lines where solo cabins tend to be Insides, on these ships they have an ocean view. MS Oosterdam is not a big flashy ship although she does feature Holland America’s Music Walk which features live music in the evening.
Night Australia & New ZealandDetails
Like her sister ships, she has good quality evening entertainment thanks to the Music Walk, but her daytime activities are a little lacking. Guests on Zuiderdam do comment on the quality of the enrichment offerings, including lectures on the ports being visited and the library resources, but it’s certainly not a ship that is thrill-a-minute during daytime hours. And she shares many of the similar positives and negatives as her sister ships do, including decor that has been suitably updated but does remain a little bit dated in places, as does the pool area, as called out in a handful of reviews.
Lowest pricing is based on our 3rd party pricing supplier and valid as of April 23rd, 2024. Not during the day, but most Holland America Line evenings are designated as smart-casual, so swimsuits, flip-flops, shorts and tank tops are not permitted in any of the restaurants. The line does have more formal evenings (how many depends on how long a sailing you're on) called Gala Nights calling for gala attire. Men usually show up in suits and ties (or jackets and no ties, especially in the Caribbean); women usually opt for cocktail dresses or gowns, or dress slacks with fancy blouses. During the summer and holiday periods, the average age onboard comes down as families, particularly multigenerational groups that include the grandparents and grandkids, take to the ships.
The scores are based on thousands of reviews, so the ranking is accurate, but each ship is only marginally better or worse than the other. From the high-quality food to the comfortable, spacious accommodation choices, the ships are well-loved by loyal Holland America fans. Holland America's clientele skews more toward older adults, and this ship fits that profile, with retirees accounting for a large number of the population. Though there weren't many younger cruisers or families during our trip, a friendly atmosphere and ample opportunities for getting to know fellow passengers over meals or on shore excursions led us to meet many interesting people along the way.
Additionally, access to the fitness center, and most culinary lessons and enrichment lectures, movies, performances and live music are complimentary. The ship lacks the flashiness or overwhelming size of some mega-cruise ships, but its unique entertainment options make up for any missing bells and whistles. For example, Nieuw Amsterdam's Music Walk creates a three-punch hit list of rich musical venues all within a short walk of each other on Deck 2.
Daytime attire is casual, though shorts and tank tops aren't allowed in the dining rooms. The Lido Restaurant is more laid-back but does request that diners wear shoes and a shirt. Recommended dress code on most nights is "smart casual," meaning skirts or pants for women and casual slacks and shirts for men. Two formal nights on our cruise brought out a smattering of tuxes and sequins. Alaska, Australia and New Zealand, and Pacific Island itineraries are typically fairly informal on Holland America.
In particular, the line's live music offerings, including BB King's Blues Club, Billboard Onboard, Rolling Stone Rock Room and Lincoln Center Stage, draw a crowd most nights, while the line's culinary demonstrations are usually standing room only. Culinary classes (including some specifically for kids), wine tastings and blendings (on select ships only), and complimentary computer classes fill quickly. Holland America Line aims to strike a balance between classic and contemporary, and Noordam, christened in 2006, manages this well. The ship's smaller size, with fewer than 2,000 passengers, gives Noordam an intimate feel that makes it easy to meet people and make new friends.
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