Holland America Line

Just came back from the Osterdam, the floating nursing home. This ship is going to dry dock in April, I say it should go sooner. Small sad boat full of grumpy old people and the staff that act like slaves. Service on the ship was weird. Some didn’t speak English or could answer basic questions like how do you dial a stateroom from the phone. The food was garbage. The entertainment, was half assed. The casino was filled with cigarette smoke. Honestly if we didn’t port almost everyday, i would have lost my mind. Oh and if you don’t want to gain massive weight on a cruise, take the stairs or go on the Osterdam.

I had a great time on ms Maasdam. missed a star for not so friendly front desk assistant (Denise).

«Holland America prides itself on its service» Some interesting notes about the service
Our very first night we went to the dining room, and the service was so slow that after waiting for desert for about 30 minutes we went up to the Buffet to get desert.
But since it was past 9:30 (We went into dinner with a 7 PM reservation so it was a 2.5 hour dinner/​wait for our meal) we couldn’t get any desert. So when I want back to the Vista Restaurant and complained, we had some deserts sent up to our cabin. The Restaurant manager did call us that night and apologized (something the Maitre de never seemed to do) and asked we try again.
So the next day for breakfast my wife and I went to the Main dining room (Vista) and the service was slower and our food was cold. Pretty poor start for the first 24 hours.
I did «track down» the restaurant manager as he requested (no easy task I might add). Let him personally know about our fate and he put us on the other side of the dinning room, (with better staff?) and we were good for the rest of the week.
That was until our dining in the Pinnacle Grill which is a charge of $ 30 per person to eat at the «Signature Restaurant». We had a 6 PM reservation on «Gala» night, so it didn’t seem very busy, since everyone was having Lobster and Filet Mignon in the Vista dining room. Well another long and tiring dinner. We did manage to only spend 2.5 hours there, but the service was again disappointing. Pretty bad when my wife has to ask for water multiple times and the waiter finally acknowledges «I’m sorry you really shouldn’t have to ask for something so many times to get it». Also had to get up and go from table to table to find Salt (since service/​help was non-​existent at times). We did see the Maitre de, he stopped at both tables next to us but never ours. Also he and the Waiter spent tons of time at one of the tables, but that was because they spoke Dutch and were chatting a lot. So for the extra money it was a mistake. I should have gone and got just as Fillet and Lobster and better service in the Vista. In 2.5 hours you would think someone other then our waiter and Wine steward might have come over to poke us or something.
This is our first (most likely last) Holland cruise. Kind of bummed they have the Auto-​tip added to the room Bill, you can’t reward the good and not the bad. Holland really fell flat when it came to the service.
I did fill out the on-​line comment request and got back the robo-​response saying «We thank you for choosing Holland America Line, and we do hope you consider us for future trips.». Included the above info and additional stuff (Like the Captain shouting over the loudspeaker «Everyone on the stairs SHUT UP») but I doubt we’ll hear anything more.
Sorry to give such a bad report card. Holland doesn’t seem to be consistent with the service, except for maybe the Lip-​Service they give you after they get your money.

I toured the Eastern Caribbean on the MS Westerdam from April 4 through April 11, 2015.
What a great experience. I had stateroom 8099, a mini-​suite. The stateroom was quiet and large. The bathroom had double sinks, a whirlpool bath and a stand up shower.
The food and the drink were vere very good to me. I tried both Canaletto’s and the Pinnacle Steak House. I was not disappointed. The Vista Dining Room was good, too.
I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful this cruise was.
Thank you, HAL MS Westerdam!

My sister and I cruised through the eastern Caribbean on the Nieuw Amsterdam for 7 days/​nights at the end of March. Holland America is an AWESOME cruise line. But there are a few things to note:
1. The clientele is generally 60+. For me, this was great because I didn’t want to partake in any wild parties nor did I want to listen to them. So the older crowd was much more calm and laid back than some other cruise lines with party reputations, so I’m told.
2. The staff is wonderful! So nice, so accommodating, so helpful. It upset me to see some savages on the cruise being mean to rude to any of these sweet people, but I suppose that’s par for the course when cruising, unfortunately.
3. My favorite spot in the Nieuw Amsterdam was the Explorations Café/Crow’s Nest Bar. First, explorations is stocked with a lending library of books, magazines, and games! Sooooo great! Second, being on the 11^th floor/​observation deck at the front of the ship, the views were gorgeous! Especially sunsets. I also loved the comfortable recliner chairs but they put me right to sleep. I was only able to read through one book on my entire cruise because every time I sat down to read, I’d fall asleep, especially in the comfy Crow’s nest chairs. Ha! This area of the ship was awesome.
4. The food was constant and had something for everyone. We chose to eat at the buffet for most meals. Only had 2 seated dinners. And they were kind of awkward. You may like some people at your table but if you get seated with any weirdos you’ll want to expedite the 2 hour long meal so you can run and hide. If you like eating with no pressure to talk to new (maybe weird) people and no pressure to have your order scrutinized, eat at the buffet. One night at the buffet, we had beef tenderloin and lobster tail, so it’s not as if we were missing anything food-​wise eating at the buffet. Plus you can take your time or eat quickly.
5. There’s something for everyone on these cruises. But I’d say if you’re looking for easy and daily beach access, a cruise isn’t the best format to find that. If you want a tan your best bet is to stay on the boat when all of the savages debark and lay out on your choice of chairs.
6. There is savage behavior that was absolute culture shock to me when I first got on the boat. Pushing, shoving, shoveling of food, rude behavior toward servers, etc. I don’t know if I got used to it throughout the week or if I just got numb to it but some of these people are brutal. If you like calm, quiet, independence on vacation, a cruise might not be for you.
I’m glad that HAL was my first cruise line experience. I would definitely cruise with them again!

The Westerdam was my third cruise and far exceeded my expectations! My mom and I cruised together. I was really looking for a ship that I could relax on and have a wide variety of options for excursions. This is exactly what we got! I would guess that the average age on board was about 60. Although I was much younger, I was completely ok with it because I didn’t want a party boat. We also loved the piano bar, the casino and the buffet!

I’ve cruised with several cruise lines and this was my first time with Holland America. The ship entertanment and the staff left very little to be desired however i should have known better and avoided cruisng with any crusie lines owned, managed and/​or oprated by Carnival.
I wasted 7 days and thousands of dollars, i filed several formal complaints along with the post cruise survey and to date all i’ve heard is that they’re busy dealing with other unhappy customers so once they reviewed my feedback they’ll answer me.
I don’t reccomend this or any other Carnival Cruise Lines, they are the grey hound of the sea.

We have been on a few cruises with this company. We go because my parents love them, and this is about the only thing they can do for a vacation at their advanced age. This cruise line caters mainly to retired people, so the crowd will be older and the nightlife options are limited. The ships seem a bit older and to have less amenities than the competition. The food is good and they supply plenty of it.

Turned in clothes on Sunday Feb 17, 13 to be pressed (white suite to be cleaned) as soon as we arrived to stateroom. Requested that they be returned next day. Received part of clothes back 2 days later. Received some back 3 days later, We spoke to our steward, and «Service desk» multiple times about a white suite. Everybody stated it was house keeping and we would get our cloths. I spoke to a house keeping person on my floor– still no clothes. After I spoke to a rep that booked cruise I got the white suite back w/​in 20 mins 4 days later on Thursday. (white night was Tuesday) It came back dirty and unpressed but was happy to get suite back. No charge for return of dirty suit. i requested no charge for delay, did think it would be cleaned. Seams in my pants were pressed wrong. Some of my shirts came back wrinkled. Music was great on Soul train cruise. Experience was enjoyable. Only wish they had a place where you could iron your own clothes.

This review is for the New Amsterdam Ship from Holland America. I should say I’m not an expert cruiser (this is my second one), but Holland America is a Top Notch cruising line. No doubt about it. After trying Carnival (full of trashy and disgusting people), I swear to myself I would never do a cruise trip ever again.
But Holland America redeemed my cruising experience.
Our ship, the New Amsterdam was built in 2010, so it felt like a brand new ship. The service was impeccable. I got spoiled by having my cappuccino at 6:30 every morning in my room. I missed that.
We stopped in Turk and Caicos, St. Marteen, Puerto Rico and Half Moon Cay (Holland’s private island), and the number of excursions, tours and water sports were overwhelming. We had so much fun!
Now, be ready to mingle with a large population of seniors. But the reality is that nowadays they feel so young at spirit, that don’t be surprise to see them dancing Conga in the middle of the deck.
Food was out of this world. Specially at dinner time (with two formal nights; yes, long gown for the ladies), when the gourmet chefs made masterpieces with the meals.
Overall, I really liked the experience, and probably in a couple of years we’ll do it again.

Our first trip on HAL cruise line was very nice. Positives: staterooms were very roomy (balcony rooms), stateroom stewards were attentive and helpful especially to our group of 8, ports of call were fun and had exciting excursions to choose from, overall friendly staff, great info provided on ports of call, fun activities to choose from on sailing days, someone in our party left $ 300 cash in the stateroom upon departure (HAL is sending a cashier’s check… very nice!), great food on the lido deck & sit down restaurants. Negatives: nothing spectacular on the ship to ring in 2012, sit down restaurants were very busy resulting in long waits for tables (even with reservations) and food service, horribly lame music played on board (45 and under crowd would like some current music especially poolside), rude ladies in the gift shop, not enough lounge chairs out on sailing days, shows/​entertainment we’re outdated, buy-​ins at casino were $ 10+, not enough time in some ports, oh and two from our party got left behind at one port for being 2 minutes tardy for all aboard/​30 min before scheduled departure… funny now but stressful then.

Okay so I am not a cruise ship expert as this was my first cruise but I will say that The Westerdam ship by Holland America exceeded my expectations.
As I was driving from the airport to my cruise port hotel I asked my cabby about the reputation of the various cruise lines since Port Everglades is the largest cruise port in the world. He said the best cruise lines were Princess and Holland America. He did not know I was going to be traveling Holland America.
The crowd on the Westerdam is mixed with some families, some singles and some young couples but probably more older couples than most. The ship itself is exquisite. Filled with tons of priceless sculptures, artwork and paintings you need to spend at least some time walking the ship to view the art if that sort of thing floats your boat (sorry – I couldn’t resist!).
The food on the Westerdam is great. There are several all inclusive places to eat on board where they serve up stuff like fresh salads, sushi, pasta dishes, sandwiches, fish, steaks and more. There are 2 swimming pools – one family and one adults only. There are various nightclubs to do dancing at and play bingo or watch live shows or bands. The next to last night of the cruise they have a big dessert feast where they set up table after table of cheesecakes, strawberry cakes, chocolate cakes, crepes, chocolate fondue fountains, with live music and festivities. It is a sweet tooth lovers delight.
The staterooms are cozy and clean. One of the best parts about Holland America is the customer service. Everybody is very friendly and they always greet you and know you by name.
My absolute favorite thing hands down about the Westerdam ship is their Greenhouse Spa. It costs extra but is worth it. Inside the spa area is a large heated hydropool that doesn’t have chlorine but instead has mineral salts that are GREAT for soothing your sore muscles after a day of activity on the various ports. In addition there are 3 sauna rooms: dry, wet and aromatherapy that will open your pores and keep you refreshed. After you finish up with that you can rest on the marble, heated lounge chairs that face a bank of open windows looking out over the ocean. There are also showers located in the Spa and the changing room. This place feels like Heaven and is a great way to un-​wind after being in the sun all day.
Another major plus about the Westerdam is the Crow’s Nest. Located on the top floor of the ship there is a large bank of windows all spanning across the front of the room with leather reclining chairs where you can sit back, order a drink from the bar and gaze out over the ocean. This place was awesome. It is connected to the library on board the ship which is affiliated with the NY Times. Here you have solid oak bookcases filled with books to check out, magazines to read and newspapers. Speaking of every morning when you went to breakfast they would hand out free copies of NY Times Top Story articles so you could keep abreast of the latest news.
The group I went with did our cruise in the Eastern Caribbean. This consisted of stops along the islands of Grand Turk, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and one of the privately owned Bahama islands. You have the option like all cruise lines of booking excursions on the islands such as horseback riding, hiking, scuba diving, ziplines and more.
Going on a cruise on the Westerdam is like staying at a 5 star all inclusive resort that moves. There is nothing more exciting than waking up each day to the captain coming over the speakers announcing the arrival in port of a new island adventure. Thanks to Holland America and the Westerdam I am hooked on cruise travel from now on and can’t wait to meet this ship on another adventure somewhere around the globe!

This review for a while ago but given that I just got off a cruise on the Royal Caribbean and kept comparing it to this one, I felt i needed to put in a quick word.
They were close but I actually liked Holland America a little better than Royal Caribbean. The RC ship was bigger, had more activities and better entertainment. However, I thought the service and food was better on Holland America.

This review is for Holland America Line’s cruise ship, the Westerdam. The following applies to a recent 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise.
Positives:
The Westerdam is a beautiful ship with understated, elegant décor. This is a user friendly size vessel and there are many places available during the day in which to find privacy and quiet to read, journal, play cards or simply relax.
Throughout our cruise the room stewards were unobtrusive bordering on invisible, with no service carts to be found in the corridors that would impede traffic flow. Staff on the Westerdam are generally friendly.
Several meals, both in the main dining room as well as on the Lido deck were quite good. Breakfast on Lido was always a treat, with a great variety of quickly prepared to order dishes, including freshly made omelets and several types of Eggs Benedict, accompanied by a good selection of juices, teas and very good coffee. Much to the credit of the kitchen staff, this is the first ship we’ve been on where the scrambled eggs actually taste like real eggs and the mashed potatoes taste like real potatoes. Later in the day we found a large choice of salad items to accompany our entrees as well as a fairly good selection of desserts. Even the barbecue lunch that was held on Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island, was well organized and delicious. Due to the ingenious setup of the serving area, lines there were short to non-​existent most of the time.
Unlike previous HAL cruises, we found the age range of passengers on this particular cruise to be wide, ranging from infants to folks in their 80’s and perhaps 90’s. There were many children aboard, but most of them were quite well behaved and tended carefully by their parents when they weren’t in the children’s programs.
Not So Positives:
Air conditioning in the staterooms as well as the entire ship seems to run hot and cold. It seems there is no uniform temperature to be had anywhere aboard. Sometimes water in the bathrooms and showers has the same problem.
Staterooms can be very noisy due to inadequate sound insulation, particularly in the ceilings. This problem led to a severe lack of sleep in our particular location. Although categorized as «large,» our stateroom was very cramped and had far too little storage.
On this particular cruise the Westerdam was not stable in moderately rough seas, leading to a lot of passengers suffering from sea sickness. This was the first time in years of cruising on a large variety of vessels, larger as well as smaller than the Westerdam, that we experienced this debilitating malady. It could probably go without saying that spending hours and even days of one’s cruise in bed does not make for an ideal vacation.
Lines for meals on the Lido deck are usually quite long and not managed well, leading to many passengers cutting ahead of others who have been waiting their turn. Sometimes this occurs simply because there is no easy way of telling which direction the line runs. And, now, because passengers are no longer given trays for their food, you must find a place to set down your plate and then return to several separate areas for beverages, bread, salad, desserts and so forth before being able to sit down to enjoy an entire meal. Finding available tables on Lido at breakfast and lunch time was almost always difficult and frustrating. Often we had to stand next to a dirty table and wait for staff to notice that it needed to be cleared before we could sit down. As a result of all this waiting and going back and forth for items, most hot entrees were lukewarm or even cold by the time we were able to begin eating.
Finally, most of the entrees for lunch and dinner were overly spiced, some combinations of spices turning out very badly and leading to uneaten meals as a result. Service in the main dining room was extremely slow at times, resulting in cold entrees.
Summary:
Despite the deficiencies, the Westerdam actually did provide us with a fairly nice cruise overall. Because we cruise the Caribbean quite frequently, the ports of call were nothing special for us. We cruise mainly for the ambiance of the ship and the niceties onboard that can make for a relaxing time. For the most part, the staff and amenities of the Westerdam provided this. Should we cruise this ship in the future, however, we will avoid signing up for a category guarantee type of stateroom and instead choose our room location quite carefully. Being under a crew work area that is noisily active all night is not conducive to getting a full night’s rest.