Holland America is a great line for people who don’t want large of crowds or too much partying, but want good food, nice staff, and some enrichment. Also very good for introverts.
The thing I love about cruising is that you can do as much, or as little, as you want. I've done a number of cruises to Mexico (I'm in California) and I found that I no longer need to go on the excursions, so I hang out on the ship. We had the ship almost completely to ourselves! The staff was so attentive, because there was no one else there. We took a bunch of board games from the library and spent the afternoon drinking and playing games. My favorite cruise pastime is when the ship is leaving port from an excursion, the people that don't believe the "be back by five or we'll leave without you" rule. Everyone stands on deck or at their balconies encouraging the late people to run and catch the boat. Everyone cheers when they make it! It looks like you had a great time! That looks like a fun cruise to try.
i am going next week to norway at the same cruise! i am really grateful that you maked this video so i would now what to expect keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful footage and I appreciate that you explained what you were doing and the tidbits of info along the way. Thank you for taking us along, it was lovely
My sister and her husband are big fans of Holland America. As an Art Major, it would be no big surprise that she seems to enjoy the artwork on every ship she has sailed. She likes some of the entertainment, which I would guess would be their (Holland America) goal. That there be at least one show that everyone would enjoy. I have never been on a cruise ship as being onboard a ship is something he vowed he would never do again once he finished his military career after leaving the USS Neverdock. ; D He has recently departed and once my brain gets used to the idea, I think I will put a cruise back on the table to consider. A cruise to/from Norway has a much better appeal than the Caribbean, but what do I know? Thanks for a good overview of your cruise! I enjoyed it!
Thank you for the great video. HAL is my favorite line and I always want to ride the Rotterdam (including the previous one). After viewing your video, I think I would enjoy this itinerary and I definitely want to go.😊
That was amazing. You did such a great job putting this together. I’ve never been on a cruise. But I’d like to someday. I enjoyed this so much while I stuffed payroll checks! ha
I went cruising in Alaska with Holland America. I love it. Very relaxing. Food and service is great! looking forward for my next adventure in Norway with Ms. Rotterdam 🚢
You were in my neck of the woods! 😍I live in Bergen. I also stopped in Eidfjord on my vacation this year, took a picture of that very same glacier as you, and also ended up at the port in Oslo. Loved watching your trip! And yes, it's been our wettest, coolest summer in 60 years, while your rivers have been drying up. BTW, my grandma (an American who married a Norwegian and therefore ended up here) said she loved Norway in part because it was so close to the rest of Europe. 😀
That was fun and different! Glad you had a good time! (My only cruise was over 20 yrs ago, short trip from LA to Ensenada, economy room with too may friends and no windows! Bleh! But maybe I’ll try another proper one someday) 😂💃😊👍
I feel so sorry for you, because this weather this summer was quite ugly in Norway. When sunny, this country is definitively one the most beautiful you can visit.
I can’t wait to sail on Holland America again. We booked the greenhouse spa package for the entire week and I loved that therapy pool. The food and entertainment was and still looks superb! You’re right about the distance issues from the US. We tried to do a Norway cruise this October but the airfare was ridiculous. Someday 🤞. Great video, Diane!
Looks like fun, but you must like the boat experience as much as the off-boat trips (so, maybe you see less of the country than you would otherwise.) I LOVE the idea of you cruising with your dad. How nice and I'm sure it will be great fun.
A very nice video and thank you for letting us come along. Looks like an extremely nice cruise and definitely one to go for for me if I can find a decent deal without the full single supplement😊 A cruise to the Fjords of 🇳🇴 is on my list and it looks stunning❤
Very well done video - thank you! Sailing on sister ship Koningsdam to Hawaii for 17 days in January 2024. First time to sail Holland America and I can't wait!😃
Did a 14 day cruise on Rotterdam last July, was absolutely amazing, won derful time. Great ship and a beautiful country. May well have been on your ship ofc, given the 14 day cruise we did started in Amsterdam, went to Rotterdam instead in the middle due to Amsterdam canal being restricted, then ended in Rotterdam too for the same reason.
Thank you for sharing this, I’ve always been interested in a cruise but afraid maybe I’d be letdown and seasick. This helped a lot, let me see what to expect! I really appreciate your attention to details. I won’t be going anytime soon, it this one is definitely a goal for the next 2 to 3 years :)
Love your video! I was just on the Koningsdam to Alaska last week. It was our first cruise ever, and HAL was amazing!! Now we want to go to Norway and I stumbled across your video and the room is exactly the same of what we had! I can still hear the elevator saying "mozart deck" - What month did you travel there? We are thinking late may next year - Thanks!
Hi Christina, thank you for watching. I hope you had a BLAST in Alaska. Great time of year to go. Norway is stunning and I think because we went there before Alaska, I spoiled myself. We went in July and you still definitely need a hoody and jacket. It was quite cool (40sF) in Flam once we took the railroad up the mountain, so dress warmly... and even moreso if you go in May. Oslo was the only place we could get away with tshirts, low 70s. As someone who hates hot weather, it was perfect summer weather for me!
18:42 oh man you should have done the Extreme Flam with the zipline 🙂 But then, that's the good thing about cruising I suppose, lots of options. 🙂 btw is there, by chance, a nearby town called Flim? Or are there Flims to be found in Flam? Just kidding lol 😂
That was fun - gorgeous: and the "typical cruises" make me cringe. Thank you. By the way, for your Amazon book list, I'd recommend three more books. The first: "My Family and Other Animals" by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. (The audiobook is incredibly charming. If you enjoy Peter Mayle, you'll love Gerald Durrell.) The second: "The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed." The third: "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed."
Loved the cruise. I've never done a cruise but you have piqued my curiosity. Norway seems like an ideal destination--especially as we are having triple digit temps here in Northern CA right now. Lots of beautiful scenery. Did you get any sense of the Norwegian people? Being on a cruise probably proivdes a lot less opportunity to mingle & get to know the people who live there. Where are you & your father going to go?
You're very welcome! Yes, check them out, so many great destinations!
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On my bucket list. Done Alaska (x4) Hawaii, Ca Coast, and Panama Canal on HAL and we enjoy it. Any recommendations on what ports to visit? How many days prior to sailing should one arrive? Coming from Calif. We love the Neptune Suites and Lounge. Thanks for sharing.
We loved Flam and also seeing Oslo. But honestly you can't go wrong with any of the Norway itineraries. Everything is beautiful. From Cali, I'd say make sure you're there 2-3 days in advance to make sure delays don't get in the way of your trip. There's no shortage of things to do in Amsterdam so even 4-5 days early would work too.
The mini fridge... you have to pay for that? I've never cruised but I was under the impression that just about everything was included in your ticket. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks!
On my bucket list. Doing the Panama Canal full transit in Feb on Zaandam and after that planning on a Norway adventure on HAL. Any excursions you would recommend? Thanks for video
Not scary as all. There's always the possibility of bad weather on a cruise and the North Sea isn't any different. If you're prone to seasickness, I'd take Bonine or similar just in case. ;-)
Sounds right, yes. No pigeon or octopus. Quality food, lots of simple stuff done well. Prime rib, a carving station with turkey, vegetarian options, sushi, sandwiches, a salad bar and so much more at the buffet
Thank you very much for sharing this video. We are planning a Norway cruise with the Rotterdam next year. Heard you talking about "rocking of the ship". My wife is very nervous for getting sea sickness. She gets motion sickness while driving a car in the mountains. Did you take any medicine? Which one?
I had Bonine with me but as it turned out we didn't need it. There were a few times when you could tell you were moving but it wasn't anything strong enough to warrant my Bonine. I'm sensitive to motion as well. But it's all dependent on the weather. Definitely look into the patch behind the ear. I've heard they work great. Have a great trip!
Yes, they take allergies seriously and even at the buffet, the person who made the food was often the one serving it (and if not, could find out about ingredients easily). As I showed in the video, you have a look at the main dining room menu the day before so they have time to check everything. If I had a life threatening peanut allergy though, I'm not sure I'd ever eat out anywhere. Just too risky.
Both were brand new ships and staff was great on both, but HAL is a bit more low-key with entertainment such as a string quartet whereas Costa had a their own rendition of The Voice singing show. HAL had an older crowd overall, so think fewer kids running around, and I found the food to be better on HAL. But it's not an apples to apples comparison since they were different destinations. Just two different vibes. ;-)
We are doing this exact cruise in 2 weeks. I have a food allergy, do I need to do anything before boarding to ensure I have the necessary food options?
I let them know once I was on board and everything was fine but maybe you can note it on your booking ahead of time if you contact customer service. You should be fine though once you get on board. They were really accommodating Hope you have a great trip!
Very helpfull Diane! Do you think it's fun for a honeymoon? And do you think staying on the boat, so no day trips is fun enough knowing there a plenty of things to do on the boat?
Hi there, it really depends what you're looking for. Holland America isn't a party ship so you won't find crazy gameshows and contests or indoor rock climbing or anything like that. Their focus is more on music, smaller entertainment shows and quality food and drink. The crowd will be older than a Carnival cruise, so if you just want to lounge by the pool, have great food, take in some refined entertainment and enjoy your cabin, I think you'd have a great time. But if you want a party ship with a lot of entertainment and ice skating and sky diving and that sort of thing, HAL doesn't offer that. On sea days, their library room was amazing and their spa and gym were also A+. We enjoyed the casino and music as well when we weren't out on an excursion. Hope that helps!
13:34 You are cute and have nice feet! But, no non-alcoholic options? I don't drink...have tried it a couple times, but anything with alcohol in it tastes nasty to me! lol. I would go with other dinner options where you can have a non-alcoholic drink 🙂 Holland America is on the short list of cruise options for me, regardless, because it uses a good flag, Netherlands, instead of using a Flag of Convenience 🙂 I would go with NCL Pride of America (only NCL ship I would use, their others are FoC), National Geographic (only the four US Flag ones), Costa (Italian), P&O UK (the four British flag ones), Holland America (netherlands), Aida (Italy), Ponant (France) or Viking (norway). 🙂
$17 for 5 oz of wine!! After paying thousands for the cruise, the price gouging and Nickel and Diming are a bit much for me. Personally, I don’t drink on cruises for this reason. Make the prices reasonable and you’ll make more money in volume… not to mention create happy customers in an industry and relies on repeat customers. #idiots
It is a ship, and not a boat. i.e., less than 100 feet is a boat. Do not lose more cruise connoisseurs by not knowing the difference . Also, stop repeating yourself in your postings. MacDonalds??? Bye, bye!
