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Noordam has an impressive number for such a small ship, which means there is seldom a wait for those who prefer not to take the stairs. As in other HAL vessels, some impressive and eclectic artwork provides lovely visual surprises throughout the ship. Historic photos of HAL cruisers from days gone by line the hallways and are a good fit for the ship's traditional feel.
Night Alaska Inside PassageDetails
On most Alaska sailings, Holland America cruisers are 60 to 80 percent North American, although this percentage skews towards Australian and New Zealand cruisers when the ship comes Down Under. However, you will still find many nationalities onboard, with Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians making up the majority of the passenger base. With an average age of 55, Holland America passengers skew slightly older than those of some major lines. On Alaska cruises, about 80 percent of cruisers are older than 50; about 40 percent are over 65. In general, Alaska cruises and those taking place during the Australia and New Zealand school holidays attract more families.
Night Australia & New ZealandDetails
During the day things are more sedate, which may suit some people more than others – if you like a long list of activities, you might feel a little bored. So instead, I’ve visited three of the biggest cruise review websites in the world – Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor. And using those websites I’ve found the average review score for all 11 ships in the fleet, and I’ve based this ranking on putting those scores in order. The biggest downsides of the ship were related to the number of people onboard compared to the size of the public spaces. For example, it was often very difficult to find pool chairs at either the main or the aft pools and waiting in line for meals or popular events was very much the norm. If peace and quiet is what you're seeking, the key is to find spaces of solitude wherever you can.
Night Cultural Crossing With Paris And LondonDetails
This is particularly true of the line's Alaska and Canada/New England itineraries. Meanwhile, choose an older ship and you’ll still get the great service and food standards that the cruise line is known for, but with a much more intimate atmosphere and potentially a lower fare. Sister ship to the MS Zaandam, her design is very similar, meaning she has a very simple layout and she is lacking in a lot of entertainment facilities and cabin options, including those with a balcony. Guests don’t seem to mind the lack of balconies, which is understandable since they know what they’re booking when they choose their cruise. The dated style of the ship doesn’t get much of a mention either – again, guests on Zaandam seem to have a good idea of what to expect, and love the ship for her smaller, more personable atmosphere.
Holland America Line Singles Cruises
Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Passengers onboard Holland America Line's ships love the line's dedication to traditional cruise activities, including afternoon tea and ballroom dancing, but they also flock to the line's newer options.
The best of Noordam's onboard programming skews toward the educational, such as cooking presentations, Microsoft-sponsored computer workshops and BBC Earth documentary screenings. On our Alaska and New Zealand sailings, the piano bar was about as rowdy as things got, with merry singalongs running until midnight. Australian and New Zealand cruises attract a slightly more lively crowd, although the vibe still tends to be low-key. King's Blues Club is the top pick for those seeking some less sedate late-night fun. Cabins to avoid would be at the very top and forward part of the ship for those with motion sickness issues and cabins in the forward to midships portion of Deck 1 to avoid noise from late night performances in the Music Walk, which is directly above.
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BEST Holland America Line Cruises to Australia & New Zealand (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.
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Also, as noted on the deck plan, VH Category Verandah Staterooms on Deck 4 have views that are obstructed by the lifeboats. The smallest ship in the Holland America fleet is the MS Volendam, which was launched in 1999. She has an internal volume of 61,214 gross tons and a passenger capacity of 1,432. Her sister ship MS Zaandam has the same passenger capacity, but a slightly larger internal volume by just 182 gross tons. The results are really positive, with reviews mentioning how clean and welcoming the ship feels. What also stands out is the service – while some people aren’t as happy with the standards on the slightly newer ships, on MS Nieuw Amsterdam the crew are very highly spoken of.
10 of 8,644 Holland America Line Cruise Reviews
Although the ship accommodates all ages, Rotterdam’s guests largely tend to be of the Baby Boomer and early Generation X age groups, averaging between 55 and 65 years. On our Amsterdam-based cruises, 65 to 70% of guests were from Holland and Belgium, although announcements remained in English first, then Dutch. The ship welcomes people from all walks of life and provides specific gatherings for LGBTQ, Single and AA guests.
Holland America Line Cruise Reviews
Much of what you need for daily life onboard is located at the top of the ship between Decks 9 and 14. Highlights include the sliding glass dome-enclosed Lido Pool area, which also has a giant LED screen; the Explorer’s Central and Cafe/Crow’s Nest, which serves as a combination observation lounge, coffee and liquor bar, shore excursions office and card/games room. Popular restaurants such as the New York Deli and Pizza eatery, the Dive-In burger eatery, the Lido Market buffet and Canaletto Italian eateries are also here.
From the symphonic orchestral beauty of the Lincoln Center Stage to the soulful, dance-floor-burning hits of B.B. King's Blues Club to the sing-along atmosphere of Billboard Onboard, you're guaranteed to find something your ears will enjoy. A three-story atrium midship sports a curvy green glass stairway crowned by a colossal Waterford Crystal compass. In the elevator lobbies, oversize urns sprout artificial foliage and busts of the Dutch royal family mix it up with ornate metal settees.
She is the seventh ship in the Holland America fleet to have ever been called the MS Rotterdam, although she was originally due to be called the MS Ryndam. MS Noordam is the final ship in the list, considered the “worst” by customer review and yet still rated quite highly. MS Volendam is the oldest ship currently sailing for Holland America Line, having first launched back in 1999. She launched back in 2010 and then underwent an extensive refit and refurbishment in 2017 to bring the public spaces more up-to-date. Despite the popularity of the newer Pinnacle Class, it’s actually a slightly older ship that is the second most popular in the fleet – 2008’s MS Eurodam. Even in the lower parts of the ship, there are fantastic views from nearly all the entertainment and dining areas via floor-to-ceiling windows..
There's also the aft open air SeaView Pool and Bar, where smoking is permitted. Overall, the flow here is good but can be a little challenging when crossing from one side to the other with access blocked on the right side of Deck 11 for crew. Like most new ships, Rotterdam is laid out with public areas concentrated at the top and bottom of the ship, with decks of accommodations sandwiched between.
What will cost you extra is all drinks beyond water, tea, basic coffee and some juices; all specialty restaurants; most fitness classes; spa and salon services; shore excursions; gratuities; laundry and purchases from any of the onboard shops. Holland America Line cruisers usually run 50 or older and are evenly split between being retired and employed -- the longer the cruise, the older the demographic and the more retired passengers there are. They tend to be foodies and music-lovers (two things for which HAL prides itself), and most are from the U.S. and Canada, though about 20 percent of the passengers are international, with the U.K. Still, it’s worth bearing the review comments in mind because the ships are different, and will suit different cruise guests. The larger, more modern ships have more to do onboard, and they’re much more contemporary, but you can expect to pay a price that reflects that.
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