Holland America Cruising Experience

[Darrell6t]

It was just an observation about their fellow passengers. They didn't try to get them removed from the ship.

[djhsolara]

We love HAL and with the exception of one isolated incident (not worth mentioning) we have always been treated as we like, which we consider to be no different from anyone else on the ship. We even liked a comment made by the head photographer one evening. The assistant was posing us and said that we look like brothers (we get that often) and the head photographer stepped in and said "no, they look like a couple."

 

I think you will find HAL quite enjoyable and will be able to get along just fine in the mainstream. :) :)

[Linda Rogo]

My partner & I (46,48) recently sailed on the Zuiderdam 10 day Panama Canal cruise. Of 20+ cruises that we've taken this was our first HAL. The ship, accommodations,and staff were great. The other passengers were OLD. Now we have nothing against older people at all, and we understand there is no way to gauge who will be on any given sailing, however, it would have been nice to have had a few "younger" guests to interact with. As far as the FOD meetings go that was a joke. They had one on the 3rd night (Sat.) of the cruise at 9pm!! when we, and any other respectable gay person, would be at dinner. The only other FOD was held on the last afternoon of the cruise. We will be returning to Celebrity and Princess for our next voyages...

 

Arnie & Lee

[O2andP3]

i've only been on 2 cruises (HAL Statendam & Royal Caribbean EOS), and i must say that HAL is way better than Royal Caribbean. The crews were friendlier, the food was tastier, & the cabins are bigger...all the good -er's. There was a few gay men on the ship i was on. so, have fun!

[lopakarob]

I just returned home from a 14 day Panama Canal Cruise with my mother on the HAL Statendam. There were 6 FOD meetings scheduled during the two week cruise (we had a LOT of sea days). The first couple of meetings were non existent, but we finally got 7 people to show up for the rest of them. Everybody at the meetings besides me were older than 60 (the male couple were in their 70's), but I very much enjoyed the chance to sit and socialize with older GLBT couples from different parts of the country. The lounge staff knew who we were and why we were there, and couldn't have been nicer to us. At 44 years old, I was one of the youngest on the ship. We had 3 young couples, 2 babies, but not a single teenager or younger child. I would guess the average age onboard was around 70 years old. This is not a cruise I would take with my friends or a partner, but it was perfect for my mother, who really had a great time (she asked me if 'Friends of Dorothy' meetings were for female alcoholics!) :)

All in all, I prefer Celebrity. My two week Baltic cruise on the Century had a much greater mix of age groups, and they were very open to FOD meetings as well.

[MarkBearSF]

No more dinner chimes??? What's next, taking away the bread pudding?

(I guess with open dining, it's superfluous or misleading -- but that was one of my favorite links to the line's heritage!)

[apollobeach]

MS Zaandam - 4/6 - 4/21/2009 Hawaii Circle Tour We traveled on The Zaandam in April of this year. The trip was delayed due to an injury my Partner suffered last Fall. Because I was not sure of how much time he might have needed in cabin I upgraded to a deluxe veranda suite.

 

Upon entering The Zaandam you are met with one of the warmest crew you could encounter. That warmth continues throughout the cruise. Staff members went out of their way to remember your name; bring you coffee; help in any way.

 

The Zaandam is nearing it's 10th year, and is scheduled for dry dock in January 2010. This cannot come soon enough. Upon entering the suite we saw just how much The Zaandam is dated. The wallpaper was stained, as well as the carpets. The bathroom is average by any standards. The furniture on the veranda needed to be replaced a while ago. The deluxe veranda suite was not what we had imagined.

 

The dating of The Zaandam shows throughout the ship. The Lido Restaurant carpeting is so worn in places the wear is down to the backing of the carpet.

 

Many of us Navy "vets" commented during the cruise that for no reason on occasion The Zaandam would shake and shudder throughout the ship for several seconds. We never could figure that one out.

 

Although aging (in some cases not gracefully) The Zaandam is tended to by a most dedicated staff, always polishing; cleaning; tidying up around the ship. The Zaandam is well cared for by it's crew.

 

The food on The Zaandam is excellent. Dining service in The Rotterdam Restaurant is attentive and friendly in every way. Many choices to be had, and special requests are never a problem.

 

Entertainment on The Zaandam is definitely geared toward a much older crowd. Some of the shows were good; however, many were, in our opinion, just fair. There is a terrific singer in The Ocean Lounge.

 

The best kept secret on The Zaandam has to be The Crows Nest at the top front of the ship. We went there many times before dinner and found it to be nearly empty, so we would have a drink and watch the ocean. One of the greatest places on the ship for sure.

 

Overall, a very nice cruise. I must be very honest in my opinion, however. It seems that Holland America Line is "cruising" on it's reputation. In general, the value for the money spent for this cruise was not there. We hope that The Zaandam comes from her dry dock refreshed and renewed.

[Calliope]

We can do another 7 day this year - thinking Alaska in late Aug/Sep when it's 110+ daily here. But that's not set in stone! ;)

 

Next year isn't even in the 'dreaming' stage for us yet... would love to do a Trans-Atlantic.

 

Well, I don't know if you booked anything in Alaska yet, but my partner and I just booked an outside room on the 11 September 2009 sailing of the MILLENNIUM from Seward to Vancouver. It was only $550.00 per person!

 

We like HAL, but thought that it might be nice traveling on the highly rated ships of Celebrity. Also the price was a wee bit less on Celebrity. Neither of us has been on Celebrity before, so we are looking quite forward to it. Our last trip was on Cunard , and we greatly enjoyed that cruise. Last October we made the final transatlantic of the QE2 and had a stellar time. We're planning another transatlantic on the QM2 next year.

[OhioLair]

We are TOTALLY HAL people... our next cruise will be our 4th summer, and give us 50 days at sea with HAL. Always our first choice, we prefer the Noordam, and do not care for the Eurodam. I have heard NOTHING but good to excellent things about the Zuiderdam, and are sailing on our first small ship, The Statendam, at the end of October.