Do you pick Holland America because of smaller ship sizes?

Holland America Zaandam has 1432 passengers. Princess Star has 2600! Even though Princess is cheaper, I'm still leaning towards HA. I'm coming from river ships of 200. I can't imagine being on a ship with 2600 people. It must take forever to get off the ship to do your activity.

We have sailed with many different cruise lines for over 33 years, and we prefer to sail HAL. I like the smaller ships, the cabins, and the service and friendliness of the crew.

We much prefer the smaller HAL ships but have enjoyed cruises on Princess and Celebrity with between 2 000 and 3 000 passengers. Crowds seem to be well controlled and dispersed around the ship.

Our next cruises are on the Rotterdam, our favourite HAL ship to date, the Princess Coral and then the Volendam.

We've found ocean cruising a completely different experience than river cruising in northern Africa, Asia and of course Europe.

And we've enjoyed both experiences very much.

Ruth

I can't imagine being on a ship with 2600 people. It must take forever to get off the ship to do your activity.

It's good that you are trying a sea voyage to see how it really works.

We like the smaller ships and seems there aren't that many kids on the ships.

Our main attraction to HAL are the unique itineraries. The mid-size cruise ships are a bonus.

In fact, our main criteria in selecting a cruise is itinerary (and timing), so we find ourselves shopping other cruise lines as well, despite the fact we are 4* Mariners on HAL. Our next two cruises are on even small ships, with Regent and Viking Ocean. They will be our first on these lines so we're eager to experience something new. :)

We are not attracted to those Mega ships that carry thousands of people.

The majority of HAL ships are just right for us. We think that HAL's newest ship -- Koningsdam is too large -- 2650 passengers.

Absolutely I pick HAL for their ship size. I love the 1200 passenger ships with the exception of the Veendam which was butchered in its drydock when the Sea View Pool was taken away. I think all that is left now is the Maasdam, and I made to book one more cruise on her as I think she is for sail. I'd love to sail on the Prisendam, but she has always been too expensive for me as a solo.

I started cruising on ships in the 20,000-25,000 ton range, so came to appreciate small ships from the start. Even the HAL 55,000 ton ships seemed huge when I first sailed them, but the S-class ships soon became a favorite. The R-class ships, with the mid-ship elevator eliminating that dead-end on Promenade Deck were a convenient addition to the style of the HAL fleet. I have also come to love the Prinsendam, the smallest ship in the fleet.

So yes, I would say that the smaller size of the HAL ships is a reason I love to sail Holland America, but certainly it's not the only reason. The crew has been consistently the major factor in creating an atmosphere where I have felt valued as their passenger. Itineraries are the second most important reason I love to sail HAL. I have been to some of the most fabulous places on the planet, because a HAL ship brought me there.

The size of the ship is just one element: of course I prefer not to be among thousands of other passengers.

In addition, I find the service - both in cabins and dining facilities to be superior to that on other mass market lines.

Then, their itineraries are more attractive to us than those offered elsewhere.

Finally, because there are so many distinctive elements on HAL, we find that our fellow passengers are more compatible than on other lines - being drawn by those same factors.

So, it is far more than just size which sets HAL aside.

Definitely! We have sailed on a few major cruise lines but found the ships getting larger and larger, and there were more and more people. Despite that fact, the service was acceptable, which I found remarkable. However, we just love the smaller size HAL ships, and the level of service that HAL provides. We find that the HAL cruises are more relaxing, with a quieter, more sedate atmosphere that we really like. Ship size really makes a difference IMO. HAL is always our first choice in cruising.

We love the smaller ships.

Got off the Rotterdam a few months ago and sailing the Prinsendm next year.

As others have said though - it's not just the smaller size but the unique itineraries, the warmth of the crew, and some interesting passengers that really adds up.

We have certainly sailed other lines and they are fine for standard itineraries, but most do not offer some of the itineraries we have done and will be doing ;)

I also prefer the smaller and medium size ships that HAL has. Even their largest ship is smaller than the other larger ships and much smaller than the mega ships. I would also agree with the other posters that the itinerary, the service, and the ambience also make HAL a good choice for me to enjoy. I like to relax when I cruise so I could not imagine sailing on one of the Behemoths with 4500 of my closest friends, even if they have lots of things to do on the ship. I don't sail any line for just the ship itself; I think I would just go to some resort if that is what I wanted.

We’ve almost exclusively sailed on HAL because of itinerary and ship size, but we’re going to sail on RC’s Harmony of the Seas to get a different perspective. I’ll report back in a month.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I find the service - both in cabins and dining facilities to be superior to that on other mass market lines.

Absolutely!! Wonderfully attentive staff who treat us like royalty.

It is interesting to note that Princess, considered a line with mega-ships, has 11 ships in its fleet of 18 with either a score or two more passengers to a capacity of 2000. Ten of these ships are considerably larger than the Koningsdam. Translation -- more space per passenger. Wish that HAL did not have to retire its smaller ships,but since they must they might get behind the pack when judged by space per passenger.

The smaller the better for me. Like Ruth, when I started cruising most of the ships were in the 20 to 25 thousand ton range with some even smaller like the old NCL ships. The first big ship I went on was the Rotterdam IV which was still less than 40,000 tons. Anyway, I've sailed many cruise lines over the years on small ships and large ships and have always had a good time, but the cruises I enjoy the most these days are on small ships, with the Prinsendam being a favorite. The reasons are the close connection you make with the crew and the passengers as well as the varied itineraries. Add to that the longer itineraries offered on HAL like the Voyage of the Vikings and the Grand cruises and it's the product that makes me happy.

HAL's smaller ships were (was?) not a factor in our original decision to try HAL - rather, it was that HAL provides a Roman Catholic priest on every cruise that attracted us to HAL.

However, HAL's smaller ships are one of the reasons we continue to cruise on HAL, although we have come to appreciate/like the Vista class ships in recent years.

Smooth sailing :ship: :ship: :ship:

I also started on small ships. Our first cruise was Statendam IV, around 25,000 gt and 880 passengers. Then Volendam II (ex Brazil) at around 14,000 gt. Tiny by modern standards.

Our largest was Crown Princess at around 113,000 gt and over 3000 passengers. Too big and we didn't like Princess in general.

I really like to stay under 2000 passengers, but we do make an exception for QM2 because, well, because she's QM2!

But more than the small size, it's the service. HAL's crew are wonderful. We just find the whole HAL experience comfortable and relaxing.

HAL's smaller ships were (was?) not a factor in our original decision to try HAL - rather, it was that HAL provides a Roman Catholic priest on every cruise that attracted us to HAL.

However, HAL's smaller ships are one of the reasons we continue to cruise on HAL, although we have come to appreciate/like the Vista class ships in recent years.

Smooth sailing :ship: :ship: :ship:

It's funny that the Vistas are comparatively large by HAL standards, but to people used to the 6000-passenger Monsters of the Seas, a Vista is small. The Vistas are really my first choice. We love the aft corners and the spa with the hydro pool, which isn't available on the smaller ships. And the walk between the spa and our corner aft burns off that lovely bread pudding at lunch...

We did a cruise a few years ago on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. She was full with 5000 passengers and about 2000 crew. Never again! You had to put in reservations for ANY type of entertainment. Bars were always full of people, places to eat too. There was just no way to get away from the crowd...

Our next cruise (Feb '18) is on Disney's Fantasy, and it's a big ship with 4000 passengers, but not as crowded as Allure was. Of course a lot of the passengers on Fantasy are kids, so there is a certain 'Frantic' pace about some of the ship.

In January of '19 we are on Zuiderdam and looking forward to a long (11 night) cruise with a slow pace and a much smaller ship. Was the size part of the decision process? Absolutely YES.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

We used to be exclusively HAL cruisers but branched out and found all are good. We've done big ships like the Norway back in the early 80s and Allure a couple of years ago. And the smaller ships like the Maasdam and NCL Skyward, again in the 80s'. We first choose itinerary followed by ship size and layout. We're actually booked on the Zaandam for next May in Alaska.

For a lot of folks the large ships present too much real estate to navigate. Too many people? You can get boxed into a crowd on the small ships too. But we've always have been able to find that quiet spot to relax and enjoy ourselves regardless of the size of the ship.

Getting on and off ships is more dependent on local services and ship's protocol. It has evolved over the years and nowadays isn't as big an issue as in past years. One of the easiest and fastest boardings we have ever had was on the Anthem out of Bayonne. Exit the cab, walk over to the agents walking around with tablets, 2-3 minutes were done and walk onboard. I will say HAL is usually the longest wait to board.

So is smaller ship the reason we do HAL? No. The smaller the ship, the more stops we look for.

Dan

Personally not getting on a ship of over 2000 people and that's pushing it -- A floating city is not a vaca for me.

I hate crowds at any venue, so cruising on HA ships is perfect for me. Lots of people, but not like the bigger mega ships. Depends what you like.

Personally not getting on a ship of over 2000 people and that's pushing it -- A floating city is not a vaca for me.

We had concerns about going on the Eurodam (2200) on a Baltic Cruise, but we found it to be just as spacious and uncrowded as the Zaandam (1400).

Plus the Eurodam has the Tamerind Specialty Restaurant, which both the wife and I adore.

So don't count out the Eurodam class of ships. But I think we are going to stay away from the Koingsdam class, unless there is really an itinerary we want to do. Its not so much the larger size, but the other things I have read about, like the lack of a wrap around outside promenade deck.

Cheers,