Looking to book and new to HAL what can we expect?

[cgolf1]

To introduce us we are in our mid to late 40s and started out sailing Disney then moved to Royal and now have landed at Celebrity where we have done 3 cruises and have 2 more booked. We are low key and like to hang out and watch the ocean pass and honestly don't do a lot of activities other than the shows onboard and generally failing miserably at trivia. We aren't foodies by any means, but we do love good food. I am the adventurous one that likes to try new dishes and my wife is really starting to branch out. I am also gluten free, so that can sometimes be a challenge. My wife did some quick research on here and did find good reviews for HAL's handling of food allergies.

 

We found an amazing itinerary on the Zaandam to hopefully book last minute. My wife wasn't really onboard until I heard grumbling when she read about each of the ports and most had places that she really wanted to see, and some she had already known about. This will be the smallest ship we have sailed by quite a bit. The good news is a rough ride doesn't bother us. Our favorite cruise to Hawaii regularly had 20 to 30+ foot seas. I am making an assumption that a smaller ship doesn't sail as smoothly.

 

So very generically what can we expect and any tips for sailing on the Zaandam?

 

Most important question, does the promenade deck have a walking path that fully circles the ship and are there spots to sit outside on that deck? We loved this on Disney and are finding that many ships no longer offer this.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by cgolf1

[kurtmi03]

Have sailed the Zaandam twice, Alaska and South America/Antarctica. The Drake passage was rough with winds sustained 50 gusting to 90 knots with accompanying rough seas. A little rocky but you’re on a cruise. There is the walking deck around the whole ship and there are chairs to sit in out there. 
 

We were on the Volendam, sister ship to Zaandam, last December and there were gluten free options, however I didn’t pay much attention as neither of us are GF. I can tell you that the food was good. We didn’t attend any shows but did enjoy the piano player and the band in the Ocean bar. I wrote a brief summary of our cruise on here so you can see the good and bad of that cruise. We have 3 more cruises booked on HAL so it was mostly good. 

[Mary229]

HAL is all about the itineraries.  
 

The entertainment relies heavily on small music venues.  HAL really needs to step up on their enrichment and their entertainment so don’t have great expectations in that category. 

 

 The food is decent to good, if you notify them about the gluten free needs they will present you with a menu each evening for the following day where you can select your dishes.  Those will be prepared according to proper guidelines.  I used it for a salt restricted diet this past cruise and it is a good method.  
 

for the smoothest ride select a mid ship cabin.   The Zaandam is one of my favorite ships.  It is never crowded or noisy.  When I last sailed October 2022 it was in very good condition 

 

[OlsSalt]

Our favorite HAL ship - last cruise was to Antarctica (2020). Fabulous cruise - even if we "did not land" - we saw plenty, slowly and up close. Incredible voyage.

 

We would take her anywhere she sails.  Knowing we choose for itinerary first - that is as much "entertainment" as we ask for.  And we are never disappointed on HAL ships for that reason alone.

[RuthC]

12 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

I am making an assumption that a smaller ship doesn't sail as smoothly.

That's a false assumption. How smooth a ride one gets is more dependent on the shape of the hull of the ship than the tonnage. 

One of the smoothest ships was the 38,000 ton Prinsendam. It cut through the roughest of seas. Some of the behemoths out there now have so much superstructure it can act like a sail when the wind comes from the side of the ship. 

[cgolf1]

We are officially booked. Super excited especially to be back on a smaller ship.

[3rdGenCunarder]

35 minutes ago, RuthC said:

That's a false assumption. How smooth a ride one gets is more dependent on the shape of the hull of the ship than the tonnage. 

One of the smoothest ships was the 38,000 ton Prinsendam. It cut through the roughest of seas. Some of the behemoths out there now have so much superstructure it can act like a sail when the wind comes from the side of the ship. 

 

I look at some of those monsters, and I wonder how they keep from going Poseidon in a strong wind. 

[CaptainXray]

56 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

We are officially booked. Super excited especially to be back on a smaller ship.

Which voyage did you book ?

[Chrissy6299]

We've sailed 8 times with Disney and love it. We've sailed 5 times with HAL and love it. Yes, Disney does entertainment better, but I love everything else about HAL.

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, CaptainXray said:

Which voyage did you book ?

A Canada New England Cruise.

[REOVA]

6 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

A Canada New England Cruise.

You'll enjoy Zaandam. Just make sure you check the itinerary as there can be changes if you are sailing for a specific port. 

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, REOVA said:

You'll enjoy Zaandam. Just make sure you check the itinerary as there can be changes if you are sailing for a specific port. 

It looks like Bar Harbor will be ok for us. Just bummed that Oak Island isn’t doing tours this year. We are huge fans of the show. 

[kickboxrca]

14 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

It looks like Bar Harbor will be ok for us. Just bummed that Oak Island isn’t doing tours this year. We are huge fans of the show. 

 

We are also huge fans of the show - and hope to visit in the near future 🙂 They say once they build a new "archeology building", they will go back to the tours.

 

We have cruised on Princess and Celebrity along with HAL, but definitely prefer HAL for the itineraries, and the more low key atmosphere.  We enjoy the food on HAL - and love being able to sit outside - and yes, walk the promenade deck.

 

Enjoy the trip - this is one we hope to take once we retire - I'm from Montreal and remember seeing the cruise ships come and go - it's a lovely itinerary.

[pirate cruiser]

My advice would be not to have too many expectations-the negative comments get most of the attention. Since you already enjoy cruising I think you will really like HAL's atmosphere-there are so many great places to sit and just enjoy being on the ocean. The promenade deck is awesome to just walk around the ship. I think the food choices are plentiful and you should have no problem finding things you like. We love the crow's nest but you have to pick the right times to get a good seat.

[OlsSalt]

Interesting to look at many of the private cruise blogs online from people who end up finding Holland America is not anything like they had originally expected .... "a dull ship full of old people" .... and they remark especially they liked the low key and relaxing atmosphere after all, and the classic decor and traditions ..as such as they remain today.  

 

High points are consistently the food, the cleanliness,  the nice mix of passengers, and always the incredible and professionally trained staff. 

 

They share similar reactions to having less lavish production entertainment and the annoyance of the smoking areas. But the rest of their HAL experience is always a surprising thumbs up. Yes, they would sail HAL again.  Only caveat is HAL is not a good recommendation for the under 30 party ship crowds.

 

So while the commercial nature of these (marketing?) blogs are undisclosed, they admit up front they had negative perceptions about HAL ships .....until they tried them. 

[cgolf1]

44 minutes ago, pirate cruiser said:

My advice would be not to have too many expectations-the negative comments get most of the attention. Since you already enjoy cruising I think you will really like HAL's atmosphere-there are so many great places to sit and just enjoy being on the ocean. The promenade deck is awesome to just walk around the ship. I think the food choices are plentiful and you should have no problem finding things you like. We love the crow's nest but you have to pick the right times to get a good seat.

 

So far looking at this board doesn't even come close to what I have been seeing on the Celebrity boards and on social media. This board is a breath of fresh air:)

[ensredshirt]

On 3/25/2023 at 12:45 AM, cgolf1 said:

It looks like Bar Harbor will be ok for us. Just bummed that Oak Island isn’t doing tours this year. We are huge fans of the show. 

So are ny parents they are sad they will miss it twice this year in their sailings out of Montreal once in June on the Zaandam, and then September or October on a princess cruise to Fort Lauderdale... 

[jeh10641]

Hello, cgolf1,

My first cruise was on HAL I was not yet 18. That was in 1959. HAL is my favorite (sailed on Costa, American Export, Royal Caribbean). The small music venues are wonderful. The food is excellent. We sailed with cousins in Dec. 2021 on Rotterdam. One was gluten free and she loved the food options. in all venues. I love the walk around the ship promenade deck. Do not worry about the dress code (except no shorts or bathing attire in inside dining areas). For formal nights, I usually wear a button-down collar shirt with a nice sweater (it can get chilly) and my wife wears a simple dress or pants/jacket. If you feel like packing a tuxedo or formal gown, by all means do so. If you like dancing, do that as well. The main theater shows can be entertaining. If Cantare makes an appearance see them. Ditto Dance One. Most of all, relax and enjoy your trip. That is on MY bucket list.

 

Jim