Outside

Balcony

Inside

Suite

Holland America Line

Gay & Lesbian Cruises

Singles Cruises

Cruises for the Disabled

Senior Cruises

Fitness Cruises

Vancouver

San Diego

Seattle

Buenos Aires

Seward

Santiago (Valparaiso)

Montreal

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Port Canaveral (Orlando)

Boston

Hong Kong

Rio de Janeiro

Singapore

Sydney (Australia)

Alaska

South America

Chile

Argentina

Falklands

Uruguay

Mexico - All

Mexican Riviera

U.S.A.

Hawaii

Columbia River

Panama Canal & Central America

Caribbean - All

Canada & New England

Brazil

Antarctica

Costa Rica

Asia

Caribbean - Western

Caribbean - Southern

Panama

Caribbean - Eastern

Bahamas

Netherlands

British Columbia

Pacific Coastal

South Pacific

Cruise to Nowhere

Europe - All

Europe - Western Mediterranean

Australia & New Zealand

Mediterranean

Transatlantic

Middle East

Canary Islands

Spain

Africa

Dominican Republic

Egypt

Jamaica

Morocco

Nicaragua

Portugal

South Africa

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Nile River

Excellent

Very Good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Eurodam

Westerdam

Oosterdam

Zuiderdam

Nieuw Amsterdam

Koningsdam

Noordam

Volendam

Zaandam

Nieuw Statendam

Holland America Rotterdam

Overall, less happy than other HAL ships.

Rome (Civitavecchia)

We took this cruise as a "back-to-back" cruise with a 15 Day Panama Canal cruise on the same ship.   We changed cabins from aft port hole to aft interior.   This was to try out these types of cabins, and see what the experience is like without a balcony of our own - and honestly, to see if these far less expensive cabins would serve us as well as the balcony / suite cabins.   We found that the two cabins were basically the same layout and dimensions - although the interior cabin's bathroom was smaller.   DW liked the porthole room better (because one could see if it was day or night outside), although I felt no difference - and actually liked the interior cabin a little better....however, it should be mentioned that the interior cabin that we had seemed a bit bigger than interior cabins on lower floors.   Both rooms had lots of storage - but - there was only ONE outlet in the cabin and ONE in the bathroom.

     The low rating for this review is due to two aspects: 1) diminished service on board    2) over-crowding at destination ports.

          1st)  I understand that the cruise industry is still recovering from the covid shutdowns and are trying to "maximize profits".   We found two particularly problematic aspects.  (both were a problem on the first cruise too - but, seemed worse on this cruise!)       

     One was bar staffing.   We frequently went hours without ever seeing a waiter or having staff cleaning or 'bussing' tables.  On one 'sea-day' afternoon we saw that there was only one waiter and one bartender to serve the entire aft pool deck for a 3 1/2 hour period!   Tables were piled with dirty lunch dishes - it took up to 20 minutes standing in line at the bar to get a diet soda.   Eventually two ship officers started cleaning tables - I'm sure due to complaints!   This was not a simple scheduling or staffing fowl-up......and, it was not due to the personnel shortages that were such a problem in the post-covid restart.   It was an ongoing problem throughout this cruise.   

  BTW:   We both feel that the individual workers (wait staff, bartenders, cooks, stewards, janitors, and officers) were friendly, hard working and have amazing memories for names and faces.   The issue is not the workers, it's having 12 people setting up the loungers -- but only one bartender on duty on the aft pool deck all afternoon in the Caribbean!

     Two is that HAL is strongly pushing its "Have It All" (HIA) package - which packages wifi, some dinners & tours, with beverages (15 per day, $11.00 per).   During the preceding (Panama Canal) cruise, HAL raised the prices of a number of ordinary drinks (like pena coladas) to $11.50 at some bars.   Later they raised the prices of these drinks to $11.50 at all bars (which after taxes were almost $12).   There was no rhyme or reason to prices (strawberry daiquiris & margaritas were still $11 but, a pena colada or painkiller became $11.50).   This new (and un-announced) upcharge is simply a money-grab.  It also caused a lot of trouble for the bar staff and customer service reps - having to "explain" and to adjust missed bar discounts etc.   Honestly, for me it wasn't the extra dollar per drink (especially considering that they are charging $11.00 for a $3 soda or a $7 beer ) - it's the idea of the nickel & dime greediness that HAL would never have done in the past.   DW described this as a 'pebble in your shoe'....not crippling, but it annoys in every step of the way.

          2nd)  Fully, half of the ports we stopped at were completely clogged with cruise ships - and many of these were the 'mega' ships.   

     Example a - in San Juan, Puerto Rico - there were SIX ships in port, three were 'mega' so there were over 20,000 tourists (not counting land-based resorts) in San Juan that day.   Additionally, we were sent to dock at the airport dock, a 30 minute bus ride from town.   

     Example b - in Amber Cove, one other ship was docked when we arrived -but - it was a mega ship (5,350 passengers).   All the facilities in Amber Cove were completely overwhelmed - we walked right back on board......a completely wasted stop. 

     Clearly, this is not HAL's fault, and, I am not 'blaming' HAL for this........   However - that does not change the fact that the experience we paid for was simply terrible.  

          Overall, we were disappointed in this cruise.   We will have to really think about HAL and about taking an any Caribbean cruise 'in the season' (at least to the larger ports!).

14 Day Southern Caribbean cruise 

Ilulissat

HAL does the Panama Canal very well.   The day before the transit, there were presentations on the history and the building of canals in general, and the Panama Canal specifically.   The day of transit, all ship schedules were adjusted for the transit.   All deck areas were opened for people to view the locks, special foods (Panama Rolls, etc) were made and served on deck areas.   The cruise director gave a 'play-by-play' during the passage - pointing out and explaining the many parts of the locks, countryside, etc.   The other stops were also varied and interesting.   The only problem was the stop in Cartagena, Colombia - there were three other ships in port - including one mega-ship, so, there were over 10,000 passengers overwhelming the tourist infrastructure - so, there were no taxis etc.    

This was our first cruise in a porthole cabin on a lower deck, and we felt that it was quite nice with a good sized bathroom & a lot of storage.   This ship was built in 1999, so there were a few things that we a problem - like, there was only ONE outlet in the room, and ONE outlet in the bathroom.  DW uses a C-Pap machine to sleep; so, we asked for (and were given) an extension cord which was actually a power-strip with multiple outlets (so, we were able to easily charge our devices).   I don't know if they actually checked that she used the C-Pap - - - so, I don't know if they would give you an extension cord if you just asked for one.  

This was a smaller ship (1,400 passengers) so, boarding is much easier than on the huge ships.   We have observed that most people want to board as soon as possible - I guess to hit the buffets & bars.   We have found if we wait until the last hour - one pretty much much just walks on the ship.   This cruise departed at 4:30 PM, with an "on board" time of 3:30 PM.   Because we arrived the afternoon before (and spent the night in a hotel across the street from the terminal) - we asked the concierge to hold our bags, and we toured the USS Midway (aircraft carrier) that was a 10 to 15  minute walk from the terminal.   After the tour and lunch, we got our bags and checked-in & boarded the ship at 2:50 PM.   The check-in process (from walking into the gate with our bags - to walking into our cabin) was 14 minutes!

January marked our 30th wedding anniversary - so, we decided to have the Captain renew our vows on board.   HAL offers a 'vow renewal' package for $300 (which we booked on line before the cruise).   It sounded like fun - we didn't really expect too much..... we were wrong!   There were flowers in our cabin.   A ship officer called us and set-up the date, time, type of cake & appetizers.   On the afternoon, she came to our room with flowers, walked us to the Crow's Nest (a segment had been blocked-off for the ceremony).   The was a banner, champaign, red carpet and cake.   The Captain had a glass of wine with us, and then sat and chatted with us for over a half an hour.   The ceremony was nice, and the photographer took pictures (only one was complementary - but - the rest were available for purchase).   We then taken to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner (the cake was brought down too)...... all of this was included in the $300 (we did spend $200 on pictures).   We both felt that this was a bargain for what it cost.   I would strongly recommend this to anyone cruising near their anniversary!

Panama Canal  (and vow renewal!)

Weakest link in our cruise has been the excursions, not as described, bus broke down in Costa Rica w a 2 hr delay. Tour Cartagena Columbia listed as 3.5 hrs lasted over 4.5 hours w no food or cafe stops available. Onboard bars running out of my favorite beer and 12oz waters is disappointing. Despite purchasing Have It All package my account has been charged incorrectly for drinks several times. The Dutch employees are less than enthusiastic correcting any errors, fielding complaints and even booking a new cruise while on board?! The hardworking foreign staff remarkable, pleasant, polite, and very attentive. I’m trying to hang my hat on HA for our new cruising lifestyle but after this our 3rd cruise on HA we have started looking elsewhere for a higher level of service. The dining room food appears to be just reapportioned and delivered from Lido buffet. No cooking stations, bar, etc. Orders are placed and the waiters show up 15 min later w covered dishes containing small portions of items available in the buffet. In all the dining venues, when something goes empty, that’s it, gone, we observed no fresh refills whether it was the taco bar or main buffet.

Good not great

Bonaire

Montreal to Ft Lauderdale.  Had a great time.  Quick and easy embarkation in Montreal staying at the Springhill Old Montreal which is perfectly located near all Old Montreal highlights.  The service on  board was wonderful.  We liked the MDR and Lido buffet.  Mixed reviews on the specialty dining by our group.  Entertainment was great including the band, piano bar player, dancers, singing group, comedians and the Orgin and BBC show.  Jeremy Hales Cruise Director and Lee Ann Entertainment leaders were very good.  We enjoyed the Orange Party too.  Cabin was a great location.  Felt very little motion other than a gentle rocking.  We did book a cruise on board. It hard not to for the benefits.  We took on HAL Excursion, Anne of Greene Gables in Charlottetown.  Our best excursion was the Canaveral Lighthouse and space tour!  

1)  Montreal:  We did two full days and used the Hop on Hop off tour to get around.  Norte Dam is amazing.

2) Quebec City:  Outstanding walking upper and lower area via the funicular (Cash 5 CAD)

3) Charlottetown:  Nice visit.  Anne of Greene Gables was very enlighting for someone that didnt really know anything about Annes.   Nice to walk both Green Gables and Charlottetown.

4) Sydney:  Not much so see, Rural Candada.

5) Halifax:  Outstanding!  Hop on Hop off, tour, Garden!  Citadel if you have time.  Chowder.  Board walk is very nice.

6) Bar Harbor:  Acadia via Gem Cart!  Lobshta Roll...

7)  Boston:  Freedom Trail was a super in expensive amazing self guided tour.

8)  Norfolk was pleasant.  Folks like the maritime museum.  (I got a hair cut at Rays US Hairways) 

9) Canaveral Port:  We were at Terminal 10 and you cant get anywhere with a car or uber or taxi so watch out.  Again the Canaveral Tours was outstanding!

10)  Ft Lauderdale:  We rented a car, stayed in Southbeach Miami, took the hop on hop off with boat tour one day and went to a bit of the keys the next day.

We enjoyed the small size of the Zaandam and how easy is it to get around.  Elevators were only busy when a show let out.  When we went to a show a half hour early we always got a decent seat upstairs in the world stage just as we liked.  Sometimes we showed up at show time and got a good seat anyway.  

The staff was the best.  Back to food.  We tried to eat a modest breakfast have a snack for lunch and to all out in the MDR for dinner and that seemed to be a great way.  

We missed any lounge or pool time because it was more pleasant to relax on our balcony.  We brought back Pellegrino from our shore visits and enjoyed it over the ice they put on our ice bucket in our room using the glasses with the ice bucket.  

Our weather was just after a hurricane however there was no damage on shore that any factor or impact to us.  We now think that a 7 day cruise is too short.  

We think Unlimited laundry way to go.  We put out a laundry bag with anywhere from one to 8 items before breakfast and before dinner.  It came back a day later. Starting in Montreal and ending in Miami meant we needed to dress for cool and warm weather.  Having laundry service helps keep your packing list down.

We understand that the Zaandam does have any bells and whistles, however what they do have was outstanding and we were always busy and smiling.

Our first cruise as adults, 13 outstanding days

I picked this cruise because it was close to (but not on or over) a milestone birthday for me, fit timing requirements, and allowed me to share my favorite part of the world with my significant other.

The cruise was to begin in Montreal, with stops in Quebec, Baie-Comeau, Harve-Saint-Pierre, Corner Brook, St. Anthony, St. John's, Halifax, and Bar Harbor, before finishing in Boston. This was perfect, a lovely mix of new-to-me stops, familiar favorites, and smaller, not-yet-ready-for-the-big-time ports, all in my favorite area of the world, with plenty of opportunities for whale watching, lobster fests, and shopping.

Unfortunately, the weather made the trip less than I expected. It started with smoke-filled skies in Quebec, Baie-Comeau, and Corner Brook. It continued with high winds and rain that cancelled a call in St. Anthony. St. John was delightful as always and Halifax remains a favorite port.

But then things went more wrong. There was an issue with a repair on the ship, that delayed our departure from Halifax by nearly 12 hours and forced the cancellation of the call at Bar Harbor. This was a major disappointment to me as I had made a number of plans in Bar Harbor to celebrate a milestone birthday with friends and family, and those had be cancelled quickly and with ship-to-shore calling and emailing difficulties. The communication from the ship's management was poor and deceptive, leading passengers to believe that a call in Bar Harbor was still possible, even though the management knew clearing customs and timing of tendering operations made this impossible the moment we were delayed leaving Halifax. It was disappointing, but many headaches could have been avoided had the ship's management been more honest and truthful with announcements from the beginning.

The follow-on effect of the cancellation of the call at Bar Harbor was that clearing US Customs and Immigration had to be done prior to disembarkation on the final morning of the cruise in Boston. This was poorly planned and executed, forcing all passengers to vacate their cabins early and proceed through the customs/immigration lines before being required to stay in public lounges until their color group was called to leave the ship. This was the procedure on my first few Holland America cruises, but since I have really liked the luxury of being able to remain in the cabin until the color groups are called.

Despite the poor end to the cruise, it was an overall good experience, and I am glad I went on the cruise. I had a great birthday celebration and a fantastic time with family I hadn't seen in years.

There were other issues along the trip, including a surprising lack of basics like bar soap, saltine crackers (one of our party was stuck down with unanticipated seasickness and there were NO crackers anywhere on board..I know, I asked in the Dining Room, the Lido, Room Service, the Front Desk, and the Medical Center!). And the changes in staffing between my most recent cruise in 2018 were clearly evident and, especially in the Dining Room, very noticeable. Holland America is still my cruise line of choice, and the crew did their usual fantastic job, but the staffing differences were obvious.

Mixed Bag for a Major Birthday

Getting to Montreal was a challenge. When we woke up at 2am we discovered that our 7pm flight was cancelled.  We were rescheduled to different flights that too were cancelled.  After a couple of calls we were booked on a flight to Montreal with a layover in Halifax.  Eventually we landed in Montreal around 11 pm.  We booked hotel and transfers through HAL and I notified them of our new flights and arrival time.  When we landed I called the number that the HAL rep told us to call.  After two calls and voicemails we called the hotel.  They spoke with HAL, called us back and told us to take a taxi since it was after hours.  Why the HAL rep didn’t share that information earlier is a mystery.  The hotel told us that if we saved the taxi receipt we would get a refund.  Surprisingly this was accurate information and we received OBC within two days.

We took the transfer from the hotel to the ship.  At times it seemed as though this was their first time doing this, even though it wasn’t.  Embarkation went quickly but was very odd.  We showed passports and boarding docs and were quickly checked in.  We had to show it again getting into the baggage screening line. Seemed a bit much since we never left the secure area.  I took six steps before someone else needed to see my boarding pass again.  That truly felt like I was targeted to be hassled. After that boarding the ship was a breeze and though tired we were ready to begin another adventure.

When we got to our cabin we discovered that an excursion we had waitlisted was available and we were automatically added to the excursion.  A charge appeared on our shipboard account.  Eventually this excursion was cancelled by the tour operator, both buses had mechanical problems.  While the tour and tickets were removed we were not credited with a refund or removal of the charge.  I asked on the Navigator app when would this be removed.  The reply was interesting.  They had take the excursion credits we used ahead of the cruise and applied them to the waitlisted excursion.  That money was put back as future excursion credits. I complained loudly.  Eventually I had the charge removed.  Why HAL didn’t just undo what they did is beyond me and smacks of an attempt to get more money out of a guest.  They should have just charged us for the new excursion without using any book keeping tricks.  Keep it simple so that it’s clear what is happening.

Another day one failure was with the Canaletto. I had pre booked a 6 pm dinner reservation using one of the meals included with the booking.  When we got onboard it was moved to 7 pm, which is too late for us.  There was never another time available that we could use. We lost that part of our package. There was never a reason given for the change.  I did have documentation to back our claim to no avail.

We did celebrate an anniversary on this cruise and the Pinnacle Grill is where we had dinner.  I arranged ahead of time to have Prosecco brought to the table.  It was a lovely dinner and the staff were very attentive to us.  They brought out a nice cake for dessert to help us celebrate. At that point we were full and enjoyed it in our cabin the next day, it was very good.  We also had breakfast in the PG several times through this cruise.  The service was good each time.

The internet and intranet on the ship is poor, especially when in your cabin. This is despite StarLink being active on the ship.  This problem will allegedly be fixed during a dry dock.  When paying a premium for internet service it should work.  It’s sad that the intranet is spotty since we are expected to depend on it to use the Navigator app.

The onboard entertainment continues to be a very weak spot for HAL.  The performances by the One Step Company were the same shows we saw before the shutdown.  We didn’t care for them then and don’t attempt to watch them now.  There was a comedian that provided two nights entertainment and we both enjoyed his performances.  A pianist also offered evening entertainment but we passed on watching since it wasn’t our cup of tea.  Thankfully the on demand movies had some shows we hadn’t seen.

This itinerary offered us five new ports for us to visit.  Sadly our visit to St Anthony was missed due to bad weather conditions.  It is a tender port and the waves could have been a problem for guests to safely get to shore.  Port fees and taxes were refunded and we were offered free drinks from 4 to 5.  When you have a drink package is that really a nice gesture? 

The food on the ship was standard HAL fare in the lido.  While it was usually good it did become very repetitive.  I tried the scrambled eggs for breakfast once. They were the worst I’ve had on a cruise ship.  Somehow they were bland and gritty with no sense that real eggs were ever used.

The Zaandam did some repairs on their thrusters while in Halifax.  We should have left at 5pm but instead left at 2am the next morning.  This caused us to miss Bar Harbor.  Not a huge disappointment to miss the port but that is typically where immigration is handled coming into the US on a Canada New England itinerary.  Port fees were once again refunded and we were given a $75 credit on our account.  This credit was not redeemable for cash or casino.

As instructed by the ship we went through the immigration line when we arrived in Boston.  Once onboard it took customs nearly 30 minutes before they started screening passengers.  Then we went to customs since I went slightly above the single purchase amount, although not above the married couples limit.  Once there we found out immigration was handled there at the same time.  It would have saved us a lot of time if the ship would have informed us of this procedure.

Each time a Mariner sails with HAL they are supposed to get a tile that, for many, makes a nice souvenir. This is the second cruise where HAL sites supply chain issues for not handing out the tiles.  Supply chain issues are a 2021 problem not a 2023 problem.  There must be another reason that they are not sharing, like not willing to pay shipping to have them delivered.

We do have the same itinerary booked for next year.  When we get home we will evaluate the challenges and disappointments and decide how best to proceed.

Zaandam September 3 - 13, 2023

The reason for this rather cryptic title will become apparent as you read the narrative.

We had two reasons for taking this trip from Montreal to Boston. First of all we have always wanted to visit L’Anse aux Meadows, and secondly because we had sailed on the Zaandam around Cape Horn in 2018, and really enjoyed the ambience of a smaller cruise ship, despite a serious problem. Generally speaking we enjoyed our trip, but a couple of developments took the shine off it somewhat.

We enjoyed fine weather during our trip along the St. Lawrence, but after we had rounded the Northern tip of Newfoundland the weather worsened with NE winds of Force 5, gusting to Force 6 and seas producing 5-6 feet waves, making it impossible to tender ashore safely. Consequently our trip to St. Antony was cancelled, so we missed the chance to visit L’Anse aux Meadows. This was disappointing, because visiting the Viking site was the main reason for us to take this trip, but nobody can argue with the weather. The captain made the only possible decision given the circumstances, and we entirely agree with that decision. As a result of this itinerary change, we gained an extra sea day, and a free drink on HAL, and a refund of our excursion costs and port fees.

Or second disappointment came when we missed Bar Harbour (Maine) because work to remove the starboard stern thruster in Halifax took much longer than anticipated. In a letter sent to all passengers the captain described this operation as ‘scheduled maintenance’ but why schedule the removal of such a difficult to access (underwater) component during a cruise? The diving team started work at 07:30 and were still working on the thruster after midnight. This decision is not so easily explained away, and in our opinion it was disastrous. Once again HAL refunded our excursion costs and port fees.

It is appropriate to mention here that stern thruster issues have plagued both of our trips on the Zaandam. During our South America trip from Valpariso to Buenos Aires we experienced a thruster failure when the captain attempted to turn the ship while we were viewing the Tempano glacier in Chile. The failed thruster caused an electrical short circuit that took out part of the electrical panel, and disabled all power and services inside the ship. The engineering team tackled the problem, and slowly managed to return services one at a time, but it was a cold and hungry 8 hours until we were able to get under way again.

Consequently, after the ship had docked in Halifax we were rather anxious to hear the captain announce that divers were going to work on a ‘stern issue’ while we were alongside. We were supposed to sail from Halifax at 5:00 p.m. on Sept 11th, but didn’t get underway until well after midnight on the 12th, hence we had little choice but to enjoy another sea day until our very early arrival in Boston on the 13th. We then needed to attend an US Immigration inspection at a very early hour.

Throughout all of this we must praise the crew who kept their cool and organised us very efficiently, under the circumstances.

The Zaandam is one of the oldest ships in the HAL fleet, and she is starting to show her age. Twenty-three years in service takes its toll on any vessel, because the sea is a very unforgiving environment. We noticed crew members making repairs on several systems while we were onboard (many passengers reported water entering their cabins, and some were moved to fresh accommodation). 

On the positive side, the public areas and venues were still colourful and bright, and kept very clean by the busy crew. The Lido crew seemed well-coordinated in keeping up with table changeovers. The food in all locations ranged from very good to excellent. We enjoy the older demographic on HAL ships, as is common on cruises lasting more than a week. The ship’s elevators were speedy and in good repair.

Would we sail on the Zaandam Again?

As to whether we would sail on the Zaandam again, we think our response would have to be - maybe. We like the ship’s ambience; its teak-planked promenade deck (DECK 3) the décor and the compactness – nothing is too far from anything else – but, related mechanical issues have arisen on both of our voyages on the Zaandam, so we will probably avoid her (unless she is sent for a complete refit before re-entering service).

Once bitten, twice … bitten?

Raiatea

I wanted to explore the ports in Canada and New England where I had never been before.  Really enjoyed the food, the service, the spa and the Music Walk.  The classical duo, a cellist and pianist from Las Vegas, were phenomenal.   I also enjoyed the ocean band, the cocktail pianist, and the other pianist.  They were all top notch.  My cabin stewards took great care of me.  This was my first solo cruise, and i liked having the opportunity to meet other solo women travellers.  I liked the Holland excursions as well.  The tour hosts were all very knowledgeable about their locale and were very informative.  I had a nice massage in the spa and also enjoyed the thermal suite.  I also appreciated that cruise Critic had a roll call for this cruise so I could visit ahead of time with a lot of my fellow cruisers for this cruise.

Excellent cruise 

My wife and I wanted a cruise to the Canadian Maritimes, and wanted to cruise with a line that would not disappoint, and was not a “party” boat. I cruised with Holland America about 30 plus years ago and was not disappointed. Unfortunately this time I was. Let me highlight the positive elements first.

1. The Crew - The crew on this ship was wonderful. No one could have possibly asked for anything more. They were friendly, professional, and always there to help. 

2. The Ship - While the Zaandam is 23 years old, the public areas have all been renovated, and are very nice. The ship is small, only 1,400 passengers and never felt crowded. You could always find a seat where you wanted to sit.

3. The Food - The main dining room, and the specialty restaurants Canaletto and the Pinnacle Grill, were very good and did not disappoint. The Lido Market buffet was hit or miss as to food quality. The food was not always hot either. I had carved Turkey one evening with mashed potatoes and gravy. The turkey was room temperature, the potatoes warm, and the gravy that was put on it was cold. Other times food quality was fine. The choices are extensive, which is positive. Seating can be tight in the Lido Market itself depending on the time you go.

4. Entertainment - Entertainment was fine as far as we were concerned. The lounges had live music in the evenings, and the ship had a husband and wife team who played the cello and piano in the Explorer’s Lounge twice daily. George and Clara were outstanding, and always had standing room only for their performances. Since we don’t go on a cruise to be entertained, but to relax, we were satisfied with the options.

5. Shore Excursions- All ports we were happy with the excursions except one point. The tour operator used by Holland America needs to get its act together and never use school buses to transport adults on tours. Three shore excursions we took did exactly that! Very uncomfortable to be riding in a school bus for an hour. Other ports had motor coaches which were fine. My advice is DO NOT book a tour using a school bus!

6. Passenger Safety - We were sitting on the promenade deck one day right before lifeboat station 7. Some crew members were working up above in the area of the lifeboat. Small pieces of metal and rust were falling on the deck due to their work as a few passengers were walking on the deck. Then a large monkey wrench fell from up above on the deck. We were shocked. If a passenger was walking underneath at that time they would have been seriously injured. Even if the pieces of metal and rust that were falling hit a passenger they could have gotten in a passenger’s eyes. If crew members are working in an area above where passengers are walking, why isn’t the area cordoned off preventing passengers from walking underneath and potentially being hurt? Holland America needs to review it’s safety protocols!!

The other negative point, the cabin, I will detail below.

Wonderful Cruise BUT………

Went on the Canada 7 night cruise out of Montréal to Boston. Took our family of 4 (kids age 8 and 10), and brother and wife. I had done research and knew this was not a “in your face” entertainment cruise but was laid back sailing on a smaller ship with plenty of room to spare. There is no band by the pool and the entertainment on the world stage is pretty … meh.

The cabins were standard size, obstructed view and shared a door between them which worked great for our family. These rooms also had bath/showers which was a nice surprise. Very quiet area of ship, with the walkway outside the window it was easy to navigate from one end to the other.. and with curtains closed, it was very private.

The staff was excellent in all areas. The buffet was not open 24 hours but opened when needed with great surprises: Canadian themed night, Asian food with rotating and delicious curry options, and a Taco bar by the Dive In. The dining room food was great, a few in our party are vegetarians and the menu always had listings available.

Club HAL for the kids was a nice option, the activities listed were a bit dry; Pictionary, bead crafts, etc. but my son said they were able to play video games and alternate games during the scheduled activities- which he loved.

The Canada ports were very manageable to get off the ship and walk through the town, we rented a car in Halifax; and took the free Island Explorer bus in Bar Harbor through Acadia National Park ; otherwise we just walked and shopped in the ports at all the other stops. 

My spouse and I bought the Thermal Suite pass, the heated loungers were nice and it had the best view off the front of the boat and hottest whirlpool, had it to ourselves most times.

The Sauna and fitness room were free to use and would recommend those areas as well (again had these spaces to ourselves most times).

The music was mostly piano bar style, or small groups singing covers, it was fine. We did not partake in late night parties but they had offerings until midnight or so every night. 

Overall, was able to read a book poolside and always was able to get a lounge chair. Waitstaff came around poolside which was a nice bonus as we got the Have it All package which included beverages under $11. Although the package rule has some stipulations— couldn’t get the large water or SanPerligeo though both were listed at $9, I will applaud the efforts in offering several fun Non-alcoholic options. If trying to get loose, I think the wine and beer will be best bet, as drinks are carefully measured.

Our complaint is the internet package was a joke, we had it in our package for a device for each person. Upon several attempts  we got 2 out of 4 devices hooked up and it was very slow. Guest Services had little enthusiasm to help with the internet issues, said we had to all make HAL accounts with 4 different emails. Got through registering and kicked off as Having minors with us, stated were under the age limit… that would have been good to know as this took several hours of tech focus away from our vacation. All in all we focused outside the internet but a bit sour this wasn’t clear up front.

All in all, we had a blast. Yes there are mostly seniors and generational trip travelers who book this itinerary. Some who seemingly had grand expectations, but if you don’t let the grumpy rumblings of couples who are bored of each other get in your way, this was a fabulous experience.

Great trip, very relaxing

Filters

1-10 of 558