First Time Cruising with HAL

[kjcognevich]

Hello,

I have decided to book a cruise with Holland America. This will be my first time cruising with this line. It is a 7-night Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise, sailing to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, plus Glacier Bay. I have two questions: 1. I am trying to decide on a ship (all sail the same itinerary) among the Nieuw Amsterdam, Zuiderdam, and the Koningsdam. 2. I am booking for a group whose ages range from 15-86- will there truly be something for everyone on HAL?

Edited January 1, 2022 by kjcognevich

[OlsSalt]

Choose the Konigsdam if you are needing to appeal to that large of an age range - larger ship, more choices. Alaska is the real show when going to Alaska, but sounds like the ship choice will matter too - takes the pressure off  you.  

 

We personally like the size of the Zuiderdam and the more decorous intimacy of the Nieuw Amsterdam and enhanced options, if one goes up in ship size. But that is only having to please "old folks". The older Zaandam - 1200 passenger, limited options for us was the best way to see Alaska up close and personal for two weeks, since it went much further up the coast than the week long trips. .

 

Every trip was fabulous, the wider the range of ports the better. Plus trying to avoid being in port with too many other ships on the same day - that can make a difference too in your final choice - check out "Who's in Port" to see if one ship offers a better choice than the other as far as port sharing.

[LocoLoco1]

No Roller Coasters, no Waterslides, bumpercars or Discos. HAL is a sedate 55+ line and that why it suits us. 

[CruiserBruce]

7 minutes ago, LocoLoco1 said:

No Roller Coasters, no Waterslides, bumpercars or Discos. HAL is a sedate 55+ line and that why it suits us. 

Not as much in Alaska. Not a party cruise line, but Alaska is generally more sedate. But, yes, it suits us as well.

[canadianbear]

Please, please do your research on all the cruise lines that do Alaska.  Another poster made the mistake of not researching and did not have an enjoyable experience with their kids.  
 

If you do decide on HAL I would choose the Koningsdam.  It is a newer ship with a few extras that the other ships don’t have such as the Dutch Cafe, milkshake/ice cream bar.  
 

Alaska is great for most age groups-beautiful scenery, wildlife and excursions.  

[bcummin]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  And Happy New Year!

Good people here and lots of free advice. 

Young people will learn lots about Alaska on a Holland America ship.

Barbara

[gknep]

• I've been to Alaska on HAL and on NCL. If the younger people in your group want go-karts, laser tag, and options for teens then look at an NCL cruise on their bigger ships out of Seattle. If night life is important NCL generally does better with the shows. I prefer HAL's music row offerings however.  HAL also has better food, better docking positions in many of the ports, and the ships are classier over all. Once you are off the ship and in port the experience will be the same. Depending on the weather some of the big outdoor options on board the NCL ships might not be operating at certain times. 

[Oceansaway17]

ya might want to consider the Ovation of the seas as they have Seaplex with bumper cars and then a nice solarium in the front of ship for adults.  Two large pools, one in doors and one outdoors.

They have something called NorthStar which is an observation area that goes up high and has lots of windows.

 

But for HAL, I would say pick the one that has the most time in each port.  I did like the Zuiderdam very much when I did her for Caribbean.  And HAL is for all ages and not just older folks.  It has a walkaround promenade and an area in back to look out - see photo

Alaska is a lot of sightseeing and kids will be tired by 9pm anyways.

 

 

[zgscl]

On 12/31/2021 at 6:06 PM, kjcognevich said:

Hello,

I have decided to book a cruise with Holland America. This will be my first time cruising with this line. It is a 7-night Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise, sailing to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, plus Glacier Bay. I have two questions: 1. I am trying to decide on a ship (all sail the same itinerary) among the Nieuw Amsterdam, Zuiderdam, and the Koningsdam. 2. I am booking for a group whose ages range from 15-86- will there truly be something for everyone on HAL?

I would for sure suggest Koningsdam. It is a great ship and has additional Music Walk venues (which are the primary evening entertainment along with the Main Stage shows). K also has more specialty dining venues (Nieuw Amsterdam also has more than Zuiderdam). As others noted there are no night clubs, go karts, water slides, etc. HAL is pretty laid back which is the main reason that I love them. I would recommend reading some of the live from threads on the board - I have two that I have done post pandemic (Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska & Koningsdam Mexico) linked in my signature and include photos of menus & daily programs which hopefully will give you a better idea of some of the onboard activities and what not. 

HAL is the expert in Alaska (Princess is a close second). They pioneered Alaska cruises and have been there longer than anyone else and thus hav the best access and docking locations. Depending on how your group spreads across that age distribution and what is important to you in a cruise line you may also want to consider a couple other lines that sail Alaska. 

[Sue from Canada]

On 12/31/2021 at 11:01 PM, LocoLoco1 said:

No Roller Coasters, no Waterslides, bumpercars or Discos. HAL is a sedate 55+ line and that why it suits us. 

And 95% of passenger are in bed by 10 p.m. ☹️

Edited January 6, 2022 by Sue from Canada

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

And 95% of passenger are in bed by 10 p.m. ☹️

That has not been my experience on either pf my post pandemic cruises. Things do shut down around midnight but the music walk was quite lively until then. They did have “dancing to the hits” available after as well for the night owls. 

[farjar]

The Koningsdam has a retractable roof that can be closed over the main pool area.  If the weather is bad you can still enjoy the hot tubs, lounge chairs and dining at the outdoor venues like Dive-In and New York Pizza.  Nice for Alaska cruises.

[CruiserBruce]

59 minutes ago, farjar said:

The Koningsdam has a retractable roof that can be closed over the main pool area.  If the weather is bad you can still enjoy the hot tubs, lounge chairs and dining at the outdoor venues like Dive-In and New York Pizza.  Nice for Alaska cruises.

All HAL ships have the closeable roof.

[jeh10641]

kjcognevich

In December I was on a Rotterdam cruise (sister ship to Koningsdam). Both have Club HAL which is devoted to younger cruisers. HAL caters to an older clientele but in Alaska, it is the natural world that is most important, as well as the ports of call.

I am 80 and I enjoy the Music Walk venues - Rolling Stone (rock), B.B. Kings (blues and more) and Lincoln Center Stage (classical/international). Time constraints did not allow me to visit Billboard On Board this trip. I have enjoyed that singalong venue on past cruises.

I attended one stage show, Cantare (acapella quartet with pre-recorded music tracks). The World Stage is a tremendous venue with high tech video capabilities both for shows and lectures. The many bars were okay although drinking is not my thing. The casino had a major problem with smoking; the smoke was all over decks two and three. I have been on Costa and Royal Caribbean cruises but prefer the laid-back offerings of HAL.

The food is the best afloat. I usually do not go to the specialty dining but I was traveling with cousins and we were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. We ate at all four extra charge spots and were really impressed with the food and service. Worth every penny.

A word of caution. When you go to Alaska in the summer, the further north you go, the later the sun sets. If sunlight is a problem to your sleeping, book an inside cabin where the sun never shines. Blackout curtains do not always block out the daylight.

 

Jim