AlexCherie

If you reserved your cabin with Vacations2Go, HAL might well refer you back to your travel agent. They did with me.

1 minute ago, catl331 said:

If you like Celebrity I think the N.S. would be more to your liking.

This.

Not quite an Elite+ Celebrity cruiser. Size, dining choices, artwork ... NS will feel familiar.  It's also newer and to me at least, I think the state rooms are among the best looking at sea (for the money). 

 

This is good news - I booked a night in every dining room other than the sushi (not a fan, generally). I frequent the HAL site on FB and others say the same thing about De Librije.

Frankly stunned to see it includes a tasting of wine. Granted I assume they don't fill the goblet but I really don't want or need more than a couple ounces per glass. 

Should be a wonderful trip. I'm assume you also did the brasserie. Wondering how that went ... certainly seems like my kind of place. 

And by the way, this particular item is an example of how poorly Holland America markets itself.

* no pictures/video. Really? In today’s world? No real representation of the menu?
* no indication that the wine is (in fact) included in the price?
* no indication you have a choice of each part of the meal?
* no YouTube video?

It is bizarre that a publicly traded company could be managed in this way. For that matter,  they have a website where you cannot use two different filters for your search. High school students put together better marketing. 

Looking for some feedback on this one-night stand in Pinnacle. One of the top dining experiences in my life was enjoying Le Cirque on the Eurodam, when Madame Maccioni brought the Creme Brûlée to my table, while Sergio spoke to the dining room. 

But French food is a known path. Choosing between Pike and Lamb’s Neck (frankly, my wife would see my head on the table before THAT happened) is quite different. I did a quick search on YouTube - nothing. Perhaps I ran the search here wrong, but also - nothing.

Nearly $140 for the night. Anyone tried it yet?

 I hadn’t seen this ... good to know!

On 10/30/2019 at 11:54 AM, iancal said:

We avoided a cruise on Veendam several years ago thanks to our on line TA.  And thanks to posters on this board.  We were looking at booking a cruise inside the final payment window.  The TA strongly suggested we not book that day and that we shop around a little based on very recent feedback from her customers.  It was at that moment we realized one benefit of dealing with a TA instead of with a cruise line employee-impartial advice.

 

We did not book.  But we did start reading the then current Veendam reviews and the comments on this board from those who had recently been on the cruise and/or were currently on the ship.  

 

These data points saved us from booking what was reported to be a dog of a cruise on what appeared to be a then poorly maintained vessel.  We were not prepared to take a chance with our time or our money.

I'm not the most senior person in terms of sea days - but I'm well above 100. 

The cruise I booked on the Veendam was, far and away, the best cruise I've ever been on (and you would find multiple posts of mine suggesting this). In the days just preceding our trip, there were terrible problems on board - to hear about it from posters on this website. After 25 years of sailing I thought for sure I was going to finally have my bad experience. 

Not to say you whether or not you were given a stay of execution by your TA. Who knows. Truly life is a crapshoot. 

***

What surprises me is that HAL/CCL doesn't employ someone to spend an hour a day reading websites like these and addressing the complaints directly - and even more particular to the OP's comments, why they hadn't been pre-emptive especially to someone spending so much to stay with them. They were a frequent cruiser, and not at all like me ... some rummy that takes the last interior cabin for a song. 

Compare what the OP might have expected if he had stayed at the Four Seasons, The Ritz, or Peninsula Hotels. If someone is spending $16,000 to rest their heads on your pillows ... well, I dunno. This isn't to say that Holland America is any different than Royal Caribbean or Celebrity or Oceania or Seabourn. You'll hear the complaints on every board on this website.

It just strikes me that cruising fails to reach the level of Tier 1 hotels. And hotels frequently don't have a full week or even 15 days to make a good impression. 

Cheers. And regrets to the OP. As we all know, the problem with cruising is that something gets under your skin and then all you have is many days in a row to stew over it. Gets to be like your own pearl. 
 

5 hours ago, JoeMammy said:

 

We're on that cruise too. I'll be getting my lobster roll at DJ's Clam Shack on Duval St. I've spent alot of time in KW and you cannot beat that place. Also, pickleballing in the am at the new dedicated 6 court facility on the water.

We'll see you there! LOL - it's EXACTLY where we were going 

45 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I think for mid-size ships HAL is a value.  Once above 1500 passengers and for run of the mill Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises maybe not.  I sailed Oceania and I paid far more than I would have on HAL and I and none of my 22 member, well traveled party were impressed.  
 

PS. I think HAL’s cyber Monday sales are true deals, at least they have been the past few years. 

Really rather surprised to hear that about Oceania. Wow - that's a crowd for those ships. Like you accounted for 5% of their take! LOL.

And much of this is relative. I mean, if you get into a ship where you have to co-exist with 4000 other human beings well that's a non-starter to me. When I'm willing to allow my vacation time to include standing on lines and purely eating mass produced crap, I'll go to Six Flags. Hopefully that doesn't sound terribly elitist. 

But you are right. If that's the game, you just can't beat RCL. I guess it gets back to what you value. 

PS Yes!

2 hours ago, friendswithdave said:

We started sailing HAL two years ago because of value, and we continue for that very reason. There are certain areas and times of the year where supply exceeds demand by a significant margin, driving down prices. OP, to get a true total cost, don't forget to include tips and taxes, which I expect were not included in your $439 price. Still, you got a great value.

 

We are cruising the Caribbean on HAL for the third December in a row because of the exceptional value.

 

I don't sail to make sure the cruise lines make a profit - that's their job to figure out. 

I find that the variable cost to consider is travel - especially when your home airport isn't a hub. Port charges, taxes, even gratuities - these are sunk costs, consistent for every ship and every sailing. 

The function of the $439 was grabbing that cabin in mid-October. And as such, my normal airfare roundtrip to FLL jumped from $500 with sufficient lead time to $1000 (for two, including upgrades and taking a pair of bags). 

(Nonetheless, a flight at $250 + $900 for the January 3 trip on the same ship, same room> $500+439. Was a damned fine price. LOL)

Enjoy your trip! You know, once you are on the Lido you tend to forget the price you paid. Oh Cabana boy, bring me a Pina Colada!

11 minutes ago, kira5 said:

I like a 'good deal'.   I consider that $100 a day (CAD) per person for an inside meets that criteria.     I guess I should re-arrange my version of a 'good deal', downward.    But I'm not sure that's the best trend.   The cruise ship companies have to make a profit and $436 for a week for an obstructed verandah stateroom, even U.S. dollars seems too low for that.   Then it becomes a question of where can the money come from.    Fewer staff, lower pay for the staff, poorer quality food, docking at cheaper ports further out of town, marginally qualified speakers/lecturers.    I don't want all that to happen.   

Vancouver - lucky you!

it's a fair point, they have to make a profit - but there has never been a cruise ship that lost money seeing me get on board. And before I leave my home I've already committed to each of their pay-per-use dining alternatives. 

Judging strictly by their balance sheets and the amount of CAPEX they are involved in, CCL, NCL and HAL aren't headed for extinction. 

7 minutes ago, GrammieK said:

When comparing Oceania to HAL, another consideration is that specialty restaurants are included in the fare. Also included are all non alcoholic beverages, mock tails and water, sparkling and still. 

Indeed and good points.

Oceania and HAL ... it's not a reasonable comparison at the end of the day (hopefully I wasn't suggesting you could compare them). Sort of like the Yankees and the USC Trojans. I mean, Southern Cal puts together a nice team and all ... 

Cheers.

On 10/24/2019 at 1:54 PM, FetaCheese said:

Thanks Ricka47, excellent review.  We are (were) very loyal to X, started in 1993, however, our last X cruise, Sept 2018 Can/NE on Summit, we did notice that everything had changed, not too bad, but everything of lesser quality, even the bathroom washcloths were paper thin.  Service people and Purser's desk, just OK, Food was OK, but not up to the standards that we had come to expect on X.  Newer pax probably would not notice anything.  Agree with you that X prices have increased substantially over the last 1- 2 years.  Was reluctant to try other lines, due to loyalty level -elite-, but when we 1st tried O in April 2016, we really loved everything they offered.  Going on 4th O cruise soon.  You pay a little more pp/pd, but you get more, and a really superior experience.  Went on HAL (friends were going and asked us to join), Nov 2018, and again in Feb 2019, and really liked everything about it.  When on that last X cruise, Loyalty director was very friendly and outgoing.  He was the best part of cruise.  He told us that X's major competition was HAL, and I now know why.  For price of HAL, even with extra charges, they give a really nice product.  I have noticed that O prices have also increased over the last 1 - 2 years.

My feeling as well, in nearly every regard. I've been with X since 1995. The Aqua class room really can't be had for less than $130 a night, and you can put together a better experience on Holland for about half that price. Meanwhile at $150 a night, you can sleep in an interior on Oceania and step up your dining experience considerably. 

Other than my status, X doesn't give me a reason to return (perhaps ... entertainment.) 

1 minute ago, ricka47 said:

We're Elite on X and enjoy Blu and Aqua Class but spent last Thanksgiving on the Nieuw Amsterdam (and will again this year) for the value.  The prices on X have driven us to focus more on HAL for what I consider to be a very similar product.

 

PS  We cruised Oceania for the first time a few weeks ago and will again in March.  From our perspective, there is no comparison to X, HAL, or Princess when it comes to food or service.  I posted a short review on the Oceania board if you are interested.

I will check it out. 

Oceania ... something special, I'm sure. "Price is what you pay, value is what you get" and HAL and Oceania in my mind have that figured out. I just have a hard time now turning over dollars to X, unless the itinerary is bang on. 

Okay, so this might seem specific to the week and the ship ... but I honestly don't think it is.

We've booked a Thanksgiving cruise on a newer ship - Nieuw Statendam - for a week. Granted, I got an especially good rate for a verandah room at $439. (It is obstructed). Still, it's about as squarely in the middle of the ship as you get, four rows up, mid-ship. We booked a reservation in each of the fine dining establishments for five of the seven nights - including the $70 per person Dutch restaurant. (Thursday is Thanksgiving, no reason to pay for Turkey. Saturday is Key West, and that's Lobster Rolls in town). 

The fine dining shouldn't come to more than ... $400, for both of us. So that means the trip, with all the best dining HAL has to offer and a verandah room, on a newer ship will cost $639 for the week.

Before you say, oh - well, that's Thanksgiving week - consider ... last September, we booked a trip on Veendam, covering Boston to Montreal, then back to Boston for less than $800 a person. Now, that was a interior room on an older ship. But it was mid-September, almost perfect for walking around Quebec or Bar Harbor, and 14 days of cruising cost us almost $50 a day. Try and find a cruise from Boston to anywhere, anytime at $50 a day. And the Veendam is smaller, but it's still Holland America. 

I have every reason to be committed to Celebrity; I'm not all that far from moving all the way up to Elite +. I am dying, dying to upgrade myself to Oceania because I am at my heart and soul a foodie. But booking an Aqua Spa room on Equinox for the same week this Thanksgiving is $1229 (specialty dining, but only Blu). A 7 night cruise on Oceania was closer to $1400 I believe.

When I started sailing in 1995, I couldn't believe what you could get on the Zenith. I'm sure all dedicated cruisers were astounded on their first trip. But having a balcony, and dining a la carte in the finest offerings of a ship line known for good food, for less than $90 a day? 

14 hours ago, BayWatching said:

I haven’t cruised on Celebrity—although we  may after abandoning HAL—but food on Princess was great. Don’t recall it being over or under seasoned. 

I think you should find yourself going from the frying pan and into the fire.

Consider a full upgrade to Oceania, or possibly Seabourn. Of course not nearly as reasonable. 

On 10/26/2008 at 3:19 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

What a very helpful thread! I have found the HAL site a bit difficult to use. Am considering a HAL cruise in the fall on the Canada-New England itinerary as Celebrity no longer does the interesting itinerary including a cruise of the Saguenay Fjord. Thanks to all who have contributed!

 

I would like to make a contribution too. We were parked behind the Westerdam in Ft. Lauderdale last February and I have a good shot of the rear of the ship. I've never been able to figure out how to post large photos. A thumbnail wouldn't be of much use to anyone. If someone can advise me how to post a large photo, I'll be happy to put it up.

May I offer this?

My wife and I were able to make a reservation for mid-September for that itinerary - Boston to Montreal to Boston. I know the Veendam tends to receive some negative remarks here, but that cruise was phenomenal. The ports were great, we took a simple inside and rarely needed an excursion. If you get it just right, you'll be lucky as us ... we were paying $399 per 7 day cruise. 

No, we didn't get a super dooper ship but the Veendam was great; service was just fine and the food was up to what we had received on a Solstice class Celebrity ship. Would have been nice but not necessary to have that balcony. 

Make that trip, especially if you like walking beautiful, historic places. My favorite of all time.

Several responses similar to my experiences. I am an Elite Celebrity cruiser, 25 years with them. My last trip was a TA and some of the food was truly outstanding. Each his own, I thought Tuscan Grill was outstanding - but it should be. Same with Pinnacle. Still, for me, Tuscan Grille was NYC/world class great. 

The crux of things falls to what is included. MDR in each is about equally good and disappointing. For most evenings, Celebrity was ... fine. Rarely if ever sublime. We found Veendam and Eurodam to just touch above that level. OTOH Bacio is in a whole other world from Explorer. Not even a little bit debatable. So I’ll be interested to try the Grand Dutch Cafe. Buffet, a push. Burgers, not a chance - I found Celebrity’s to be actually poor. Pizza was excellent on Veendam, just OK on S class. 

It comes down, as every one knows, to price and itinerary. I have every reason to continue to sail Celebrity. Our best total experience in our lives was the Silhouette for 2 weeks.  I just booked a 7 day, Caribbean balcony on Pinnacle class for $440. Best itinerary and cruise ever was two back to back trips on Veendam, going from Boston to Montreal ($399) and back ($399). I’ll be staying with HAL right now. 

I’m looking forward to Nieuw Statendam. I think they will set a new standard for me. Hoping so.

On 6/30/2019 at 6:58 PM, LHT28 said:

rarely is Oceania  Business air any cheaper than you can get  yourself

one exception is IF they have a promo for BUS  air  ..which is rare  IME

Nevermind ... just found out my answer!

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

the internet is free  to all  not really part of any O life  deal

 

If you do ship's tours  it probably would work out for  some  people ..we do not do ship's tours

 

We like to fly in a day or so before the cruise   so if we use O air  we pay the deviation fee to fly in earlier  or  we also may book our own flights depending on the itinerary  & just take the credit for not using  O airfare

 

sometimes we take the OBC  or we just do the "cruise only fares"   no O Life or Airfare

 

You really have to work out the price point that works for you

they is not right or wrong way to do it

JMO

I see that now. 

One of the things I'd like is having the airfare all worked out. I haven't done Oceania (once again trying to talk myself into it), but the idea of just arrive at the airport and your bags wind up on the ship? 

Worth the price of admission to me. That is the way it works, right?

Not sure how anyone sees it is better off to "DIY" rather than take the O-Life option.


Nevermind ... oops on the Internet. Thanks anyways!

13 hours ago, richwmn said:

Board rules don't allow discussion of specific travel agencies, just types - IE Brick & Mortar, Big Box, PCC

Well that is reasonable and makes good sense.

Do I have the parameters of the definitions correct though?

Simple question:

When you refer to a "big box" or online TA, are you referring in the former to someone like Costco Travel, and in the latter, Avoya/Cruise?

52 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

 

Gosh, I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I was negative on Oceania dining options.  We love Oceania and the dining options but did not  want you to think you could eat in a specialty every night.  They are capacity limited.   

And I don’t feel I am being discriminated if a suite passenger gets an extra reservation.   We’ve gotten a fair number of extra ones and we’ve declined a few because we don’t like to eat late. 

  Oceania is not a stuffy line, which is why we love it.  We’ve shared tables and tours with a federal judge, a retired four?  star general and a newly retired US congressman.  Their occupations were not known to us until the end of a twenty day cruise.  The congressman won the jackpot bingo and we were happy for him. 

 

Good luck with with whatever you do. 

 

Negative? Hardly. And based on the conversations here, I can't imagine the cruise could be stuffy - I wasn't being disingenuous at all regarding looking forward to meeting people onboard.

I see us enjoying the line, I just think all things considered we would be better off immersing ourselves on the offerings on a shorter trip. 

39 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

We love the GDR and cannot imagine avoiding it.  Love the atmosphere, food, service.  We like being served each course verses eating in the Terrace. 

Sometimes we try for extra specialty reservations on busy port days, assuming some others may cancel.  We have had some luck.  So you are not disappointed, be aware you will not get to choose the time and the openings might be for a late seating.  As others have said, suite or PH accommodations have a better chance.  Also, the suite butler can serve In stateroom  food from a specialty.  

We’ve never done a TA but I’ve read the ship is generally not at full capacity.  Maybe specialties won’t be completely booked.

 

on Marina/Riviera there are two extra fee based eateries- Privee and LaReserve.   We think Privee is a great value.  It is a private dining room. Flat fee of $250 paid by the booking passenger.  Food from Polo and Toscano.  Server will be a managerial person, we’ve had the ship Restaurant manager. Up to ten people can be seated.  Sometimes a roll call person will book and invite others to join them. 

 

OV cabins on Marina/Riviera book up early, or late after final payment,  but being on a TA might help.  We’ve never had one but they look very inviting. 

Thanks Sammie ... and to posters generally. It's from feedback from people like you that I was able to decide to not use Oceania at this time. 

I don't mean this in a mean way - but spending $350 a night per guest and being denied access to parts of the ship because I didn't spend $450 or $500? That would drive me crazy and especially if I was on a ship for 14 days, with the primary goal being 

dining.

I can't see telling my lovely, well, we didn't spend $10,000 to take this trip - we only spent $8200 - so we can't eat there. Those reservations went to the people with bigger pockets. 

Truly possible that GDR > Jacques, or Red Ginger, or Polo. In fact I'm not sure I'd ever even go to Polo. I mean, I get it. And I understand the Marina cannot give open access to 1200 guests into a fine, French restaurant.

It makes sense to circle back to O when I can afford a better class of suite, probably on a shorter trip to the Caribbean. I won't be getting off the ship in those situations (love the weather, hate the ports) and get the opportunity to truly take advantage of what Oceania offers. 

Thanks again to the wonderful people posting here. I look forward to a chance to meet with you on one of these fine ships.