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Holland America Part Deux


Oakman58
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I had such a great experience on the Westerdam on our Alaskan cruise this year that I booked a cruise on the Eurodam in May.  I want to see if the Westerdam cruise was a fluke or a normal experience with Holland America.  I booked this cruise yesterday and BONUS; drink package included.

 

I'm a Platinum level cruiser with NCL and over the past number of years the fleetwide cutbacks on amenities and service have become such that cruising with them no longer provides that special cruise experience.  With NCL it's more like you've booked a hotel room that will take you to different ports...what more do you want.  If my experience on the Eurodam is as good as it was on the Westerdam then NCL has lost me as a customer.

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My wife and I swore no more HAL cruises after the Zuiderdam in 2004 (Caribbean) & Oosterdam in 2007 (Alaska). Liked the size of the ships but the Main factors were the smoking on balconies, entertainment (the HAL Cats did not work for us) and at the time the age demographics (we were in our early 40’s). So, we cruised only on Princess and Celebrity , are at the Elite level on both lines and had great cruises in various parts of the world on their ships.

 

In 2017 our family of about 20 went on the Westerdam over Christmas and have since been on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2018 and sailing again on her Saturday. While we still sail on Princess ( not so much due to pricing on Celebrity) we like the HAL experience on the Vista and Signature Class ships but will not sail on the older, smaller ships. My wife and I really like the Signature Suites with a decent size covered balcony, are fans of BB King’s, love the service (room service breakfast the final day is wonderful) love the speciality restaurants, especially Taramind and the hydro pool in the spa. The unbelievable amount of whining I read on these boards at times has me wondering what all the fuss is about when I am on the ships. 

 

We are now in our late 50’s with over 40 cruises and generally cruise to relax and recharge especially to the Caribbean. My guess is you will like the Eurodam if you liked the Westerdam. 

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There is a May 23 cruise on the Koningsdam that is also round-trip Alaska from Vancouver. It's a better itinerary since it sails through the calmer and more scenic inside passage, compared to the Eurodam which does have a couple of days out in the Pacific side. You may want to switch to that cruise if feasible. That being said, Eurodam is a nice ship as well, and the service should be better than NCL (unless you are a Haven suite guest on NCL). But all the mass market cruise lines have experienced cutbacks in service, unfortunately.

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2 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

There is a May 23 cruise on the Koningsdam that is also round-trip Alaska from Vancouver. It's a better itinerary since it sails through the calmer and more scenic inside passage, compared to the Eurodam which does have a couple of days out in the Pacific side. You may want to switch to that cruise if feasible. That being said, Eurodam is a nice ship as well, and the service should be better than NCL (unless you are a Haven suite guest on NCL). But all the mass market cruise lines have experienced cutbacks in service, unfortunately.

 

Thanks for that information.  I actually looked at that cruise when I was considering what ship to book for Alaska.  The main reason I rejected the Koningsdam cruise was with the exception of Tracy Arm, it has the same itinerary and route as the Westerdam cruise we took this past June.  Another factor was the cost of hotels in Vancouver.  We usually fly into a port one or two days early and we thought the price of the hotels was outrageously high.

 

I know all mass market cruise lines have cut back but NCL has taken it to a ridiculous level.  Service, amenities, and the crew on the Westerdam blew NCL right out of the water.  The only thing NCL has over Holland is the entertainment in the theater.

 

As for the Koningsdam, I"m actually considering that ship for a Hawaiian cruise in 2021.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post.

Edited by Oakman58
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6 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

I had such a great experience on the Westerdam on our Alaskan cruise this year that I booked a cruise on the Eurodam in May.  I want to see if the Westerdam cruise was a fluke or a normal experience with Holland America.  I booked this cruise yesterday and BONUS; drink package included.

 

I'm a Platinum level cruiser with NCL and over the past number of years the fleetwide cutbacks on amenities and service have become such that cruising with them no longer provides that special cruise experience.  With NCL it's more like you've booked a hotel room that will take you to different ports...what more do you want.  If my experience on the Eurodam is as good as it was on the Westerdam then NCL has lost me as a customer.

I remember your excellent review of the Westerdam and am glad you are returning to HAL.  The Eurodam is very similar to the Westerdam, plus Tamarind, so you will feel at home there.  Love to read another review and hope you will do one. Enjoy planning for this great cruise!

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11 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

I remember your excellent review of the Westerdam and am glad you are returning to HAL.  The Eurodam is very similar to the Westerdam, plus Tamarind, so you will feel at home there.  Love to read another review and hope you will do one. Enjoy planning for this great cruise!

 

Thank you for those kind words about my Westerdam cruise report.  I hope you were able to read it before all the photos were removed.  The website that I used to host my photos decided to go out of business so all the photos disappeared with it.  For that matter I think the photos in all of my previous reviews are gone too.  I'm still bummed out about that.

 

Since Cruise Critic revamped their website and made it easier to include photos in reviews I do plan to do a report on the Eurodam cruise.

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2 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Thank you for those kind words about my Westerdam cruise report.  I hope you were able to read it before all the photos were removed.  The website that I used to host my photos decided to go out of business so all the photos disappeared with it.  For that matter I think the photos in all of my previous reviews are gone too.  I'm still bummed out about that.

 

Since Cruise Critic revamped their website and made it easier to include photos in reviews I do plan to do a report on the Eurodam cruise.

 

Yes, I saw all the photos, an excellent addition to the commentary.  Will look forward to your review of the Eurodam.  Great itinerary, a good time of the year for Alaska. Sailing from Seattle instead of Vancouber will be a change.  Hope you go early as Seattle has much to see.

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I sailed on the Westerdam NB this July and enjoyed an excellent cruise experience to Alaska.  I hope you will find a similar experience on the Eurodam.  I expect to.  I am booked on her for a mid-January Caribbean sailing and have sailed on her for two previous cruises which I really enjoyed.  If one enjoys Asian cuisine, Tamarind ought to be experienced.

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By the way, I was tickled that I booked the Alaskan cruise during Holland's current promotion of the free Signature Drink Package.  I was also surprised that the gratuities were included in the package.  With NCL when you get the drink package the gratuities are not included and at 20% that can be a large hunk of change.  On a 7 day cruise the gratuity drink charge is $277.20 per couple.

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  • 2 weeks later...

With the current Cyber Sale offering paid Hotel Service Charges, I was able to get that added to my Alaskan cruise also.  Not a huge savings for me because our cabin category increased in price by $55 per person but it still saved my some money.

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7 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

I have an Alaska cruise booked with the drink package. Did you just call them and they added the gratuities. Have not sailed with Holland America for 10 years

 

Yes, I called and they were able to add it to my package.

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1 hour ago, Oakman58 said:

With the current Cyber Sale offering paid Hotel Service Charges, I was able to get that added to my Alaskan cruise also.  Not a huge savings for me because our cabin category increased in price by $55 per person but it still saved my some money.

 

Excellent!  Keep your eyes open, you never know what promo will come along next!

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