Table Of Content
Most recently, Holland America Line received the 2023 Cruise Critic Editor’s Picks Best Service Award. From personal cruise consultants that help you plan epic and memorable vacations, to stewards that know your name and dining preferences, we’ve got you covered. That includes visiting breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites that represent the best of human heritage and the natural world. These sites and wonders are recognized for having outstanding universal value to humanity.
Complimentary Dining
The cruise line also offers Signature Beverage Package for passengers ages 21 and above which lets them pay one price per day for beverages. Speaking of amenities, make sure you understand what you'll get as part of your fare and which extras will come with an additional cost. For example, most cruises offer drink packages for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but a few have drink stations where you can get complimentary lemonade, coffee and tea. Other amenities that might be important to you are Wi-Fi, spa services, babysitting, fitness classes, and upgraded dining experiences. You can usually get a decent discount if you sign up for an amenities package before you sail, so keep an eye out for promotions in the months leading up to your sailing.
Main Dining
The experience on the Koningsdam sailing the Inside Passage to Alaska via Vancouver was delightfully different. It was mostly families, retirees, and some multigenerational groups like ours. Yes, you can wear jeans on a Holland America cruise with the exception of select restaurants on formal nights which are called Gala Nights. On Gala Nights, dress is formal and a suit, cocktail dress, or gown is suggested for women and jacket and tie, dark suit, or tuxedo is suggested for men.
Around the Ship: Cabins, Public Spaces and Amenities
From Pure Form Yoga and Tai Chi, to the enriching lectures where you can learn about upcoming destinations, there’s something for everyone on board. Pinnacle Suites come with all the above advantages, as well as a whirlpool spa bath on the balcony, a guest bathroom, dressing room and pantry spread over 1,150 square feet. Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guests can enjoy breakfast daily in Pinnacle Grill.
I found it a bit confusing and only ended up booking the excursion that just barely crossed the border into British Columbia before turning around, rather than going all the way into the Yukon Territory. Although my intention had been to go all the way, the trip was still beautiful, and probably long enough, considering we had my one-year-old in tow. In market hall fashion, this was the place to go for variety, and it became our daily lunch stop. It had everything from a salad bar and roasted meats to sandwiches, sweets, and noodles. It could get a bit busy and overwhelming at times to be honest, probably because it had so much variety in one spot.
The Dining Room is a two-story space aft on Decks 2 and 3, and you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner here. The lunch menu has a deep lineup of favorites, such as street tacos, BBQ chicken spring rolls, Cobb salad, club sandwich, a cheeseburger and fried chicken and waffles. It remains the same throughout the cruise, but there are enough selections to give a nice variety to visit for lunch often. Ketchikan is always lively, and Eurodam was one of five ships in port during our visit.
How much does a Holland America cruise cost?
A separate dressing room provides space for your clothes, and the bathroom and balcony each have their own whirlpools. A sofa bed sleeps two additional passengers, and the suite also includes a guest toilet. Guests are presented with an array of entertainment shows and nightlife activities which allows them to experience a thrilling cruise vacation. The cruise line also has diverse lounges, movie theatres, and casinos ready for use aboard. Passengers can stay up all night and be entertained with Holland America Line’s stage shows and live music. Each cruise ship provides a flexible dining program which is “As You Wish” Dining that gives guests the choice of an open schedule dining or traditional pre-set and dining time.
Bars and Beverages
But that doesn't mean the ships are stuffy, boring or limited to an older demographic. In fact, HAL ships are more modern than ever, with some of the newest hardware featuring high-tech theater shows, extensive art collections and contemporary music that even members of Generation Z are likely to appreciate. It's common to see multigenerational family groups on Holland America voyages. Of the "Big Eight" cruise lines, Holland America Line is the one that prides itself most heavily on legacy. Don’t forget to pack something orange, a nod to the cruise line’s Dutch heritage. There’s an Orange Night where guests are encouraged, but not required, to wear orange.
Tamarind ($29) and Nami Sushi (a la carte pricing) are two eateries in the same complex with perhaps the best views for any meal experience on Eurodam. Lunch is also available at Pinnacle Grill for a $15 cover charge, and it offers a completely different menu from dinner. Additional appetizers cost $7 each, and you can add a second main selection for $15. It would have been nice to get a salad or soup selection included as a course for this meal. The price was just $19, and the menu is so nice you might want to eat there twice. Eurodam’s eateries hit a nice range of food styles to satisfy almost any craving.
THE 25 BEST Holland America Line Cruises from San Diego - Cruise Critic
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In the Caribbean, the demographic shifts back to Holland America's core North American market and the age range goes back up to 55-plus, with nightly fun coming to a close closer to midnight (or earlier). This is not because the onboard offerings change, but because the line historically draws an older clientele in North America and its newer offerings have not yet been adequately communicated to the cruising population at large. But with all that's new, Westerdam has not lost Holland American staples like an emphasis on service (though on our cruise, service had the occasional bump, particularly in the restaurants) and delicious food in all venues. Yes, Holland America’s anytime dining is called “As You Wish.” With this type of dining, you aren’t confined to specific dining times or locations. However, if you prefer a more traditional cruise dining experience, that option is available as well. Holland America offers rooms to suit everyone from the single traveler to families to cruisers looking for the ultimate in luxury.
They offer the same square footage as standard cabins in each of those categories and share the same layout. As mentioned above, Pinnacle-class ships have the most venues of any Holland America ship, including all of the line's signature entertainment venues. Because of its smaller size, Volendam has fewer features and amenities than most other Holland America ships, particularly the ships of the newest Pinnacle Class and another recent group of vessels called the Signature Class. In some cases, Holland America's oldest cruise ships — those built in the late 1990s and early 2000s — are as much as 39% smaller than the line's newest vessels and have fewer venues on board.
Unless you're sailing a closed-loop cruise (one that leaves from and returns to the same U.S. port) to one of a handful of destinations, you'll need a passport in order to sail with Holland America. If you are taking a closed-loop voyage, you can sail with your original birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, instead of a passport. In keeping with Holland America's less-flashy style, you won't find much in the way of top-deck pastimes. There are no waterslides, go-kart tracks, surf simulators or rock climbing walls. What you will find, however, are two pools — a main pool covered by a retractable glass roof and another adults-only pool that overlooks the wake — as well as hot tubs for relaxing on each ship.
Measuring just 61,214 gross tons, it's 39% smaller than Rotterdam and the two other Pinnacle-class vessels mentioned above. Notably, in addition to a main restaurant and casual buffet, the three Pinnacle Class ships have five separate specialty dining venues — everything from a pan-Asian eatery and an Italian restaurant to a steakhouse. Measuring 99,863 gross tons, Rotterdam is tied with two slightly older sister ships (Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam) as the biggest ship in the Holland America fleet. In addition to being the newest ships in the Holland America fleet, the three vessels, collectively known as the Pinnacle class of ships, have the most amenities of the ships in the Holland America fleet. Everything is handed to you as you request it and then when you reach the end of the buffet line, you take your plate (or someone can assist) and enjoy your meal. This is such a brilliant idea that I don’t know why all cruise lines don’t adapt to it.
On 1 night of each Holland America cruise you’ll get to experience an Orange Party. Holland America has partnered with O, The Oprah Magazine to bring passengers a collection of Oprah-inspired activities and amenities to each of its ships. It was started as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company, which was headquartered in the Netherlands and provided service to America.
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