Is a Holland America Alaska Cruise Worth It? An Honest Review
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For breakfast, your room steward will leave breakfast cards for you to hang outside your cabin door the night before. Dishes are international, and the menu changes nightly. There are three courses, with meat, fish and vegetarian options. The two-story main dining room is where you’ll eat most of your dinners on the Rotterdam. It could be that HAL has seriously upped its culinary game across all ships. So we were very pleasantly surprised to find that both of these ships served meals that tempted us at every turn.
Contents: Holland America Rotterdam cruise review
The cruise line also offers Signature Beverage Package for passengers ages 21 and above which lets them pay one price per day for beverages. A high point on this ship is service, which is prompt and consistent. Whether the matter is room repair requests, dietary restrictions in the dining room or mingling with the talent onboard, interactions were positive and genuine.
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The package includes shore excursions, specialty dining, Wi-Fi and a beverage package. Gratuities are extra, but the line sometimes runs promotions that roll them into the cruise fare. Holland America Line maintains a fleet of 14 ships, each with its own brand of amenities and travel destinatios. The company runs up to 500 cruises to 320 ports in more than 100 countries with 2- to 114-day itineraries. Holland America Lines also offers a broad range of food and dining options as well as entertainment and on-board activities which can cater to individual passenger taste. Holland America Line offers a wide range of itineraries to various destinations worldwide.
Find a Holland America Rotterdam Cruise from $649
The cabin is longer than other verandah cabins, which gives the cabin a more spacious feel. It includes a queen-size bed, a couch, a small table, a built-in desk with a mirror, lights, and a chair. The care that the staff put into making sure our boy was well looked after at our meals was above and beyond. People were always trying to make him smile, and the guests were nice to be around, as well. It wasn’t a party atmosphere (although there may have been some of that in the evenings, which I missed since that was bedtime for my son), but rather a mix of people who were there to enjoy the scenery of Alaska. Even if you don’t upgrade to any of the paid dining options, the main dining room is honestly awesome.
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The balconies are wide enough to comfortably seat two and in some parts of the ship, at points where the superstructure buttresses outward around the lifeboat recesses, are much larger. All of Holland America's vessels offer send-out laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services for a fee. There are no self-service laundry facilities on any of the line's ships. Smoking generally is not allowed in indoor areas on Holland America ships, including cabins and cabin balconies.
Anyway, before our Rotterdam cruise, we’d sailed on other Holland America ships in Alaska, Europe, Eastern Canada and the Western Caribbean. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active. At a nice mid-size, Holland America’s 2,668-guest Rotterdam debuted in 2021 as a model of elegant and thoughtful design geared for cruisers of all ages and walks of life. Holland America is a cruise line that caters to passengers seeking a premium experience at a reasonable price.
Depending on each day's schedule, the main dining room might also be open for breakfast and lunch. Daily housekeeping service is included in all room types. Holland America has also had a commanding presence in Alaska for decades, offering some of the most robust opportunities to visit the 49th State. In fact, the brand is so established in the region that it owns and operates its own lodges near places like Denali National Park, making for the perfect pre- or post-cruise add-on. Itineraries run the gamut from standard Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Canada/New England and Pacific Coastal voyages to more bucket-list regions like Alaska, the Mediterranean and the Panama Canal.
It takes pride in its heritage, and its ties to immigration and historical events make it a compelling draw for history buffs and travelers interested in genealogy. Holland America sailings aren't the least expensive you'll find, but they won't totally bust your budget, either, particularly if you opt for a more bare-bones cabin in the inside or ocean-view categories. You reach each tier after accumulating a certain number of "cruise night credits." Simply, for each night you spend on a Holland America ship, you'll get credit for one night — or one point. On dressy nights, jeans aren't allowed in restaurants that aren't considered casual. For men, jackets and ties are preferred, but collared shirts with slacks are permitted.
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As for the Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam, after summering in Europe, the ships return to their Fort Lauderdale home port in November for a winter season of Caribbean cruises. And gone are the days of paper tickets for shore excursions. The tour operators just need to scan your phone (or your keycard) to find your tickets. But there are also four specialty restaurants onboard you’ll want to try. Suites offer more space and luxury extras than the balcony cabins. We sometimes offer premium or additional placements on our website and in our marketing materials to our advertising partners.
Most are from the United States, but some are from Hong Kong, Europe and other places around the world, with varying musical backgrounds, including Masters of Music degrees. From Beethoven to Brubeck, you can listen to chamber music from talented cellists, pianists, violists and violinists. It’s one of three virtually identical, Pinnacle Class ships. The Rotterdam‘s two sister ships are Nieuw Statendam (2018) and Konigsdam (2016). The ms Rotterdam is the newest in the Holland America Line fleet of 11 ships.
Our first couple of nights, we cooled our heels for 30 minutes each time. Fixed seating means you always dine at the particular fixed time and at the same table. It’s an elegant space to dine in – think white table cloths and blue-and-white Delft china. We often judge a resto by something as simple as the bread. If it’s not yummy, we don’t expect much from the rest of the food.
The verandah room was spacious enough, though, with plenty of storage in the closets and drawers, as well as a space under the bed for suitcases. As long as we were good about putting things back in their place, the room was totally fine for the three of us. As we made our way through, the weather kept changing, creating different lighting along the glaciers and providing incredible wildlife-spotting opportunities.
The ship’s public areas are infused with abundant light through full length windows and boast quality furnishings and fittings that are inviting, practical and comfortable, without being overtly edgy or pretentious. Fresh flowers and a $4.1 million art collection that is a festive and eclectic combination of musical, natural and architectural elements add warmth and color to the ship’s soothing, mid-toned backdrops. Whether you're sailing with your significant other, friends or extended family, you're sure to enjoy a voyage with Holland America.
Foodies will enjoy celebrity chef-led dining experiences and cooking demonstrations on select sailings. Plus, Holland America's Vital Choice program provides passengers with at-home fish deliveries and recipes from the line's chefs so they can replicate the meals they've eaten on board when they return to dry land. The latter is a fantastic place to seek out complimentary between-meal snacks and extra-charge alcohol and specialty coffee beverages. These cabins are also outfitted with a split bathroom setup — one room with a bathtub/shower, sink and toilet and another with a shower and sink. Although every Holland America ship has a kids club on board, the youth spaces aren't as expansive and thrilling as the facilities on the larger and more family-friendly cruise lines. Well-behaved kids who enjoy learning and visiting new places will still have a great time.
Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa & Salon is found on all HAL ships. Whether you want to get your hair or nails done or treat yourself to a massage, you can do so here. Here, you can loll about like a Roman on cool cocoon-like couches and chairs, which are separated by breezy white curtains. Read a book with your feet up on a window footstool, play a boardgame, put together a jigsaw puzzle, browse one of the international newspapers – this is an inviting quiet spot to do just this. Some other HAL ships also have a Tamarind, which serves Asian-influenced dishes.
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