I miss Holland America

[dockman]

Five star HAL and elite Princess.

 

For a variety of reasons my last 5 cruises have been on Princess.  While Princess has provided me with some good cruises I really do miss the Holland America experience.  To me the smaller ships, more laid back vibe, promenade decks (at least a few) and especially the staff is just more appealing all around. 

 

Seems more and more ships are turning into floating malls/amusement parks.

 

  I for one still like a cruise to feel like a cruise and don't need a ton of bells and whistles to entertain me.  The ocean to me is endlessly entertaining but it seems more and more passengers barely even notice the beauty that surrounds them.

 

 

[Sir PMP]

The Golden days are in the past.

[tupper10]

Agree with you. It is very hard to find a cruise that does not have music blaring non stop everywhere on the ship.  We cruise for the 'ocean' experience as well as the ports.  It seems that today everyone wants continuous entertainment and cannot abide silence.  It also appears that many cruise lines are going to a class system where those who pay for suites do not have to mix at all with the rest of us.  I have been on this type of ship and won't sail on them again.  

[HELENPSL]

Did a one week cruise on a cruiseline beginning with "P" and it made me nuts.  Almost impossible to find a quiet spot on the ship.  Constant music and movies by the pool.  And it was LOUD!!  I'm so ready to be back on HAL!

Helen

[Sailnsurf]

Could not agree more with the views expressed. HAL' new Pinnacle class ships are moving in the wrong direction. I will only sail in the older smaller ships. Hope HAL is listrning.

[jimmy2x]

1 hour ago, Sailnsurf said:

Could not agree more with the views expressed. HAL' new Pinnacle class ships are moving in the wrong direction. I will only sail in the older smaller ships. Hope HAL is listrning.

I really do disagree. The Pinnacle ships (aside from the skinny promenade) are far superior to the older ships. Much better entertainment. Larger pools, with some decent shady areas. The size of the ships allow for more dining choices. Our first HAL cruise was many years ago on the old Ryndam and we loved it enough to return to HAL repeatedly. 

[SargassoPirate]

My needs on a cruise are few - a wraparound promenade, someplace to get something to eat, a wee dram or three in the evening and some enjoyable music (by enjoyable I mean not over-amplified)

 

My don't needs are also few. I don't need an alcohol fueled floating county fair populated by feral children.  I don't need  over-amplified production shows.  I don't need an over-amplified Caribbean band on the Melanoma deck.  I don't need piped in background music everywhere on the ship.

 

I didn't understand my needs and don't needs until I had experienced some of the larger ships.

 

Then I started carefully reviewing the promenade deck plans before even looking at cabins.  No full promenade, no way.

 

I've also found that a smile and some light conversation with the crew, even the people cleaning the common areas goes a long way. 

 

Happy cruising.

[Lido - Lanai]

41 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

I don't need an alcohol fueled

 

41 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

a wee dram or three in the evening

Talk about having your cake and eat it too!

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, Lido - Lanai said:

 

Talk about having your cake and eat it too!

Funny and True.   My wee dram or three in the evening is a mere drop in the bucket of a drink package - which some folks start working on before noon.  If I tried to wring full value from a drink package, they'd have to wring me out at a Betty Ford clinic after the cruise.

 

"A man's got to know his limitations"

[Horizon chaser 1957]

23 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Funny and True.   My wee dram or three in the evening is a mere drop in the bucket of a drink package - which some folks start working on before noon.  If I tried to wring full value from a drink package, they'd have to wring me out at a Betty Ford clinic after the cruise.

 

"A man's got to know his limitations"

So true. On another line, I’ve seen people so focused on getting the maximum moneys worth of alcohol out of their drink package they didn’t even have fun doing it. And certainly they never noticed we were at sea!

[dockman]

15 drinks a day? really?  even with water and coffees who the heck would ever drink that much UNLESS they are hell bent on getting their moneys "worth"....talk about a package that encourages people to overindulge....

[Anubi]

We are booked on our first HAL next year and can't wait to experience a CRUISE again.  We are definitely fans of the smaller ships.  Our first HAL cruise, since cancelled, was on the Volendam in on of the Lanai cabins.  We plan on trying that again at some time.  

[MarkWiltonM]

I meditate in the early morning hours and try to find quiet places on ships to sit but it's very difficult. Too often the only place that's quiet is my veranda (and then only if I'm up and out before the neighbors come out). We were recently on Rotterdam and I was able to sit outside Tamarind. A couple of times there was annoying piped pop music out there (as early as 6 am) but a few times it was quiet. It was hit or miss for sure, and I couldn't find any other place that was quiet on the whole ship. Maybe the crew like the music when they're working overnight? It would be great if there was a designated quiet time and/or place, at least in the morning and perhaps again in the evening. Who wants to go up to a deck to look at the stars and hear pop music blaring from the speakers?

Edited July 4, 2022 by MarkWiltonM

[jimmy2x]

49 minutes ago, dockman said:

15 drinks a day? really?  even with water and coffees who the heck would ever drink that much UNLESS they are hell bent on getting their moneys "worth"....talk about a package that encourages people to overindulge....

For the record, at 75 I’m way too old to consume that much fluid in one day. But it’s nice to know that we can have what we want when we want it without having to keep track of additional charges. It was a very good deal through my TA back when few folks were booking anything. 

[tupper10]

22 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I meditate in the early morning hours and try to find quiet places on ships to sit but it's very difficult. Too often the only place that's quiet is my veranda (and then only if I'm up and out before the neighbors come out). We were recently on Rotterdam and I was able to sit outside Tamarind. A couple of times there was annoying piped pop music out there (as early as 6 am) but a few times it was quiet. It was hit or miss for sure, and I couldn't find any other place that was quiet on the whole ship. Maybe the crew like the music when they're working overnight? It would be great if there was a designated quiet time and/or place, at least in the morning and perhaps again in the evening. Who wants to go up to a deck to look at the stars and hear pop music blaring from the speakers?

Agree with you.  I was on the Statendam and there was no place w/o music except on the very top deck where it was playing but you couldn't hear it due to the wind. In the retreat, where I spent most of the day,  it was 'quiet music' and since it wasn't very full often the staff turned it way down for me.   I think the ships should have a quiet part of the ship where those of us who do not wish to hear piped in elevator music on a continuous loop can relax in peace. Also with almost everyone having a smart phone and able to listen to their own music non stop why there is even piped in music everywhere makes no sense.  

 

I wish someone at the cruise lines would listen to us but from what I have seen it is going in the totally opposite direction which will essentially lead to my DH and I not cruising at all in the future.  

 

  

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, dockman said:

15 drinks a day? really?  even with water and coffees who the heck would ever drink that much UNLESS they are hell bent on getting their moneys "worth"....talk about a package that encourages people to overindulge....

 

i don't see how the package encourages it. At the price for drinks and coffees (and then add grats) the breakeven point for the package is around 5 drinks. A Cap or Espresso in the morning, a beer or wine at lunch, a mid afternoon coffee, a pre dinner cocktail, a glass of wine with dinner, a coffee after dinner (if you can drink coffee at night) and an evening drink watching a show or in the bar before retiring for the night. 

 

I think the coffees are 3-4sh, beer 7-8, cocktails and wine 9-11ish -(and then add another 18% for grats),   so what was totalled there was WELL over $50 (which includes grats for those drinks, wifi and one dinner). It's a no brainer for moderate and even low level drinkers, no need to indulge to get value out of the package.

[dockman]

36 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

i don't see how the package encourages it. At the price for drinks and coffees (and then add grats) the breakeven point for the package is around 5 drinks. A Cap or Espresso in the morning, a beer or wine at lunch, a mid afternoon coffee, a pre dinner cocktail, a glass of wine with dinner, a coffee after dinner (if you can drink coffee at night) and an evening drink watching a show or in the bar before retiring for the night. 

 

I think the coffees are 3-4sh, beer 7-8, cocktails and wine 9-11ish -(and then add another 18% for grats),   so what was totalled there was WELL over $50 (which includes grats for those drinks, wifi and one dinner). It's a no brainer for moderate and even low level drinkers, no need to indulge to get value out of the package.

 

yes but you seem to control it all fine and not feel like you have to squeeze every nickel out of the package...but there are many who don't or won't control it all that well and can turn into a bit of obnoxious drunks who talk way too loud etc...just as there are many who stuff themselves to the max on the buffet because it is all there and they paid for it by golly so they are bound to eat it way too much.....not so much on holland i would add as i have seen on princess and few other lines....anyway to each his own as long as they can handle it without becoming a loud drunk that nobody wants to be around.

[SargassoPirate]

I have had a complimentary drink package occasionally and did add a frozen coffee drink to my consumption, ending up with one coffee drink and a wee dram or three of a good peaty top shelf scotch in the evening.

 

I don't feel like I'm leaving a bunch of drinks on the table since I didn't pay for it to start with.  

[sofietucker]

On 7/3/2022 at 8:45 PM, HELENPSL said:

Did a one week cruise on a cruiseline beginning with "P" and it made me nuts.  Almost impossible to find a quiet spot on the ship.  Constant music and movies by the pool.  And it was LOUD!!  I'm so ready to be back on HAL!

Helen

We loved Princess back in the day. Then they started Movies under the Stars and it was so loud there was absolutely nowhere out on the decks to escape the crashing/shooting/exploding/cursing movie sounds. By the next season all their ships had MUTS--which pushed us to HAL, so we're eternally grateful. (Their larger ships do have outdoor films by the pool at night, but really only heard at the pool bars and NY Pizza. And decent films, not action trash.)

Celebrity has outdoor films too--but not overly loud, and on secluded top-of-the-top decks--so not heard elsewhere. We did get to watch Moana on a Disney ship when it was parked next to us in port somewhere, as we lounged on a sun deck (a "sea day"). Loud enough that we never missed a word, lol.

Edited July 5, 2022 by sofietucker