BSR

I've stayed in 9732 corner suite and it has a wrap around balcony. It was perfect for our Panama cruise as we got to view the back and off to the side as we went thru the locks.

I also have stayed on deck 8 after they moved Spinnakers to deck 7 and it was to noisy.

$7.95 room service charge for the entire order--not by number of items. No charge for continental. Free for suites.☺. I will be sailing on NCL in September and will verify.

I had the same question when I called a Holland Rep and was told that only suites had them as I wanted to store water and soda. She told me to buy my drinks. I later posted this question along with several other questions as this will be my first HAL cruise and received correct information.

I've sailed in several aft suites and really enjoyed them. 😀 Deck 10 has lots of space.

Enjoyed reading your post and hope to read more. We will be sailing on her in Sept and it will be our first cruise on HAL.:)

I'm looking to stay 3 or 4 days in Copenhagen before my cruise in May 2016. One of the hotels I was looking at is the Square. Can anyone recommend it? There are several different room choices: superior, executive with business lounge or Jr Suite. Anyone stayed in these rooms?

Any other hotels in the center of town do you recommend?

I'm also sailing on the Oosterdam in Sept for the first time on Holland. I saw some negative reviews, but I didn't let that interfere with my decision. I agree with the other posting -- a cruise is what you make it.:D I plan to have a great time! In fact, I'm hoping I will like HAL enough to start booking future cruises with them.:)

I went thru the HAL booking on line and it doesn't show the offer for Alaska in Sept. I guess it's only for certain sailings?

I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the POA. Haven't sailed on this ship yet, but hope to soon.

I have sailed in the 2 bedroom suites on both the Gem and Jewel. Love them!:D

Nope:) Like HAL to much to try another line. I guess I feel that I lucked out with HAL and I am to scared to spend the money on another line and hate it.

 

Joanie

I felt that way about NCL, but with all the changes they done this year and looks like more to come, I decided to try out HAL. Hopefully, it will be money well spent.:) I met a lot of the crew, officers, butlers that remember us from previous sailings and it's nice to see and chat with them again.

Also, we been on so many NCL ships that the shows were the same that we stopped going to them. The menus, activities were also the same and we knew what to expect. Going on this cruise will be fun to experience new things. :)

Sail7Seas answered you about the differences of the classes, so I won't restate them.

 

What I will say though is that everyone has their own thoughts and preferences as to what is better and why.

 

I've been on all 4 Vistas and one Signature Class ship.:

 

Oosterdam was our first and once on her I was hooked on HAL.

 

Westerdam was our 2nd and the love continued but grew more intense because the crew was just so doggoned happy the entire time.

 

Noordam was our 3rd of the Vistas and the one I liked least of all. Other than our Aft Wrap verandah Divider door was welded shut so anyone going from our stateroom to the VA beside us had to climb over the divider in order to get to it (Picture crew member cleaning the verandahs on turn around day..........) there was really nothing else, just my gut did not feel the same love as the other ships.

 

Zuiderdam was or 4th Vista Class and is also the oldest. I prefer ms Zuiderdam over all the other Vistas. There is no reason for that preference that I can explain other than, It just feels right:) I feel totally at peace with the world when I am on Zuiderdam! Do not get me wrong, I love them all, but.......

 

I've been on Nieuw Amsterdam and to me it is not right for me. I do not know why I feel that way but I do. I've tried to explain it before but...........

 

AND just for the record, out of all the ships, to include the ones I was less that happy with, I will and do cruise on them again and again:)

 

I'm looking forward to boarding the Eurodam in November:)

 

Joanie

Joanie,

Thanks for your thoughts and preferences on the Vista Ships. I always like to hear peoples opinions on ships and cabin choices. Have you ever thought about trying a different cruise line?

The Four Vista Sister ships came before the two Signature Class Ships.

 

Vistas are: Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam and Noordam

 

Signatures are: Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam

 

Signatures are larger than Vistas and the newest ship, Pinnacle Class, is currently under construction at Fincantieri Boat Yard in Italy. That ship will be larger still at 99,000 ton.

 

Thanks for telling me what ships belong to what class. I forgot to ask that question.;) Hopefully, I will enjoy Holland and start sailing on the different ships.:) I loved the pictures of the suites as they seem bigger than NCL, especially the balconies. I do love the Suite Life on NCL, but would love to try them on HAL.

Keep in mind that these are photos of one of the 2 Signature class ships, Nieuw Amsterdam is the other and it has some differences, such as 5002 and 5001 on Eurodam have a large superstructure pole in them whereas the Nieuw Amsterdam does not.

 

Also, and for you this is most important, you are on a Vista Class ship and there are a lot of differences between the Signature Class and Vista class ships.

 

Use these as a guide and not written in stone and you will be happy. At least I hope you will:)

 

Joanie

I'm still trying to learn all about Holland and didn't realize their were differences between the Vista and Signature ships. Are the Vista ships older and smaller? I viewed most of the pictures and was happy what I saw. I'm sure I will have a great time sailing on the Oosterdam and really looking forward it.:D

This is a great site especially for newbies. I'm taking my first HAL cruise this September and the pictures really helped me out. I had a lot of questions on what the cabins look like and now I can see all different types.:) Even thou I will not be sailing on this ship, it was nice to see what HAL has to offer. Looking forward to my cruise!:D

I'm sailing on the Oosterdam to Alaska in September. It will be me first cruise on HAL and really looking forward to it.😀

I'm so excited! I still have much to learn about NCL but I pulled the trigger and booked a cruise to Alaska for August 2016 aboard the Jewel. I sailed HAL to Alaska as a teenager in the 90s and it was gorgeous and I've dreamed of my husband and children getting to see it and now they will! I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and learning more before my trip. :D

Have a great time on your cruise. You will love the Jewel as we sailed on her many times. Also, got 2 cruises booked this year on her.☺

NCL offers "Welcome Aboard" champagne? That must be new, as we have had 4 cruises with NCL from 2009 to 2013, and we never once were offered any kind of embarkation beverage, unless we bought the DOD or another beverage. Perhaps you are talking about the suites, we've yet to book a suite with NCL. We did see a tempting b2b itinerary for September of 2016 with NCL, and if we go again it will be in a suite. I would like to see what that level of service is like on NCL. We can hardly wait to try HAL. One of the things we heard about when deciding which cruise line to go with in May was how wonderful and friendly the service is on HAL. We are looking forward to that.

 

Lorie

Lorie,

We sailed on over 20 NCL cruises and have not been offered champagne since 2008. Maybe that specific cruise they got it. As far as the suites, we get a bottle in our room and one extra for being platinum. You will love the suite life as NCL knows how to treat you. :D I love the extra perks they have to offer us.

I'm looking forward to my first HAL cruise this Sept and can't wait to see what they have to offer us.

We've done both. Recently were on the Getaway and Allure to try out the competition. We enjoyed the Getaway and Allure but decided to get back to HAL and see what's changed.

 

As others have posted, HAL caters to an older demographic and is a bit quieter in the evenings but that could change depending on the time of year and passenger makeup.

 

Hal cabins are larger and balcony is larger for the most part in the lower cabins. Penthouse and suites probably are equivalent.

 

If we had to list the most disappointing issue on each ship it would be:

 

Getaway - noise. Is seems NCL tries to drown out quiet with noise blasting everywhere and it's hard to find a quiet spot to relax.

 

Allure - Baby carriages. Seems going from HAL to the Allure we traded walkers for baby carriages.

 

HAL - Smokers. Never noticed them before but our last cruise there seemed to have just enough of them sprinkled around to smell smoke in almost every outside venue.

 

Dan

I just booked my first cruise on the Oosterdam sailing in Sept to Alaska. Would you say that this cruise falls under the older crowd? Do they offer entertainment in the evenings (after 9pm)? You mentioned about smokers on HAL, does that mean they are allowed to smoke on the verandah's?:mad: I was happy when NCL banned this.

I've sailed on the Breakaway and can relate to all the noise and how over crowded the ship was. You couldn't find a chair by the pool.

I have done balcony cabins on both lines, preferring the smaller ships. Embarkation seems easier, with fewer long lines on HAL and usually immediate cabin access. However, I love the "Welcome Aboard" Champagne on NCL. In general, the furniture is more comfortable in HAL cabins, but I prefer the closet set up on NCL, less hanging space but easier to reach drawers.

 

HAL room service morning coffee is the best, served on good china with fresh flowers on the tray. Since I rarely eat in the MDR, I cannot comment on that experience, but I prefer the NCL buffet. On the other hand, the HAL poolside "on location" buffets are great, as are the nightly "Sip and Savors".

 

The public areas seem IMO more tasteful and less crowded on HAL than on NCL, but there are more varied sea day activities on NCL.

 

Hope this helps.

The welcome aboard champagne is no longer offered as it's been gone for many years.:( They do offer champagne at the art auctions. Room service is served on regular plates (no china) and no flowers.

What are the on location buffets and sip and savors?

We have been on several NCL cruises and for the first time will switch to Holland for a cruise in March 2016. We are 75 and 84 so we know Holland is more of an older crowd. I booked a balcony on HAL on the Oosterdam and wonder if anyone has been on both cruise lines? We are used to penthouse or mini suites on NCL but recently did take a balcony cabin on the Getaway and the Pearl. I actually was surprised that Holland's prices were quite a bit higher and I was wondering if their food is that much better, the cabins etc. We've run out of options for NCL as we don't like the larger ships and always choose the Caribbean. We will go on the Spirit in Nov 2015 and the Dawn in Dec 2016.

We also been sailing on NCL for many years in penthouse suites and finally booked our first HAL cruise on the Oosterdam. I been happy cruising with them, but I always wanted to try out another cruise line to see what they have to offer. Looking forward to this cruise.☺

Oosterdam - 20-Sep-15 - 7 day Alaska Round Trip

BSR - 1st HAL cruise

[

When I return, surely will post comments as to my comparisons HAL suite experience to NCL suite experience.

 

[/b]

sail7seas,

You will definitely love NCL suite experience. I got hooked on the suite life and it's hard to go back to a regular balcony. I can't compare it to any other cruise lines as I been sailing with NCL for many years and done 1 other cruise on Carnival, but not in a suite. Which type of suite do you book? I been in several aft penthouse suites and the 2 bedrooms. They are big and spacious.

I have several cruises booked with NCL (different ships) under the "Freestyle Promo". It includes the UDP, UDB, pre-paid gratuities and OBC.:) It's a great deal!

I been reading a lot of old postings and looking for some up to date information.

Is there an outdoor grill where you can have breakfast or lunch?

Is there complimentary hors d'oeuvres served in the bar before each dinner seating?

Do they still offer happy hour in the evenings?

Is there a fee associated with the Culinary Arts Center and afternoon high tea?

Do they still offer a behind the scenes or kitchen tours and is there a charge?

Are the shampoo, conditioner and body lotion dispensed from the wall or in small bottles?

Are robes in all cabins?